


Stupid Humans and Homicidal Elves

by RynRose4



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cussing, F/F, F/M, Gay Panic, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, honestly this is more of an Amaya/ Janai fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26219773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RynRose4/pseuds/RynRose4
Summary: She was about to be interrogated, tortured, and maybe even killed. She was worried for Callum and Ezran, wondered if Gren was okay and if her men survived the breach.“You can’t escape. You are in Lux Aurea now. My home. My domain.”Janai smirked as the humans face fell.“We’re going to have so much fun” she said, beckoning for another soldier to take the prisoner to her cell, “So much fun.”
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince) mentioned
Comments: 21
Kudos: 336
Collections: The Dragon Prince: Amaya x Janai





	1. Capture

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything, though I wish I did!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was about to be interrogated, tortured, and maybe even killed. She was worried for Callum and Ezran, wondered if Gren was okay and if her men survived the breach.  
>  “You can’t escape. You are in Lux Aurea now. My home. My domain.”   
> Janai smirked as the humans face fell.   
> “We’re going to have so much fun” she said, beckoning for another soldier to take the prisoner to her cell, “So much fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything! But I still wish I did!

The first thing Janai felt for the human was annoyance. The general annoyed her. While she may have been civil in saving Janai’s life at the breach, she was also the one that tried to take it in the beginning. A part of Janai had wanted to end the general’s breathing immediately after the human had raised her hands in surrender, but her ethics would never allow it. 

_Stupid humans. Stupid morals._

The walk and ride to Lux Aurea angered her even more. Anytime she got close to the woman, her enemy would spit at her and smirk, her messy brown hair swooping over her right eye, a crazed look on her face. Janai often got into staring matches with her, a way of testing the human's resolve while keeping her distance. The prisoner never looked away. Honestly Janai wondered if she was mentally "all there". She would stare at Janai and continue her glare long into the day.

In fact, all she really did was glare.

She didn’t speak or make any noise, just watched as the elves made camp, and then walked when they packed up to move out. 

So Janai learned to ignore the human. She refused to give Janai information about her troops, her country...even her name was kept from her. She never spoke when she was interrogated, and resorted to staring at all times, which got annoying. And Janai could get annoyed fast. 

_She’ll talk for Khessa,_ she smirked, _Khessa always makes people talk._

* * *

When the party finally arrived at their inferno-tooth tigers (hidden in the mountains so as to not attract attention from nearby human troops or nosey elves), Janai noticed how the woman flinched before hiding her discomfort in a snarky façade. Although she caught the look only briefly, Janai knew she had seen the general’s fear. The tigers made her nervous.

_Scared of cats? Really?_

She scoffed as her squadron attempted to shove the human onto one of their tigers. The general stood her ground and locked her legs, making it almost impossible to move her. After about 10 seconds of intense struggling and multiple curses, one of her warriors eventually got the woman onto her knees. Janai made her way to the scene, walking as tall as possibly until she was a mere 3 feet away. She got onto ground level with the human. This time, instead of a glare or obnoxious spitting, the human wouldn’t look her in the eye. She looked, tired, almost defeated.

Janai rolled her eyes.

“Untie her hands. She needs them in order to fly.”

“But golden knight, she might-” Janai cut the elf off. 

“I know. I don’t trust her either. However, it would be impossible for her to grasp your two-tailed without her arms and we can’t have her committing suicide before she is properly interrogated.”

Slowly, but obediently, her soldiers obeyed, beginning the process of uncuffing the human soldier. Janai watched as they untied the woman’s arms. She knew the general could not escape. Nobody could ever escape her, and even so, the prisoner was calm and sluggish, probably due to lack of food or water.

_I supposed I’ll have to feed her when we get back. Can’t have the general of the Katolian army die on me._

Janai was still lost in thought when all hell broke loose. As the last cuff was removed, the general immediately changed demeanor. She lost her tired look and swiftly smashed her head back, knocking one of the elves to the ground. She turned with a quickness Janai had seen too well before and swept the other two off of their feet before turning and taking off into a nearby patch of forest. 

“STOP!” Janai screamed, running towards the area where the human disappeared.

_For the love of...What just happened?!_

“STAY THERE!” she screeched to the two dazed elves. Then she ran.

The human was quick, but one hand was still bound with the heavy chain, and Janai could see it was causing her to slow. As the woods became darker and deeper, she could see the human clearer up ahead. She was fast, but Janai was faster. She took a few more strides and hurled herself at her unknowing opponent, knocking her off course and sending both of them smashing into a tree. Janai was taking a moment to gain her balance when she felt a foot attacking her face. She grabbed her the human’s leg and swung her around, attempting to knock her out before she seriously hurt someone. She heard a thud, and then nothing. Her plan worked and soon, she was huffing and panting next to the motionless figure beside her.

“Did you think you would escape? Huh? Pathetic." 

_It was stupid of you to let her out of the cuffs. Your squadron is going to think you’re an idiot._

You humans are so….so….AGHHH.”

A pain enveloped her ear and she grasped it with her hands 

“What the hell!”

The woman had bitten her, like some sort of savage. To-fucking-hell-with-humans. Janai kicked the general until she went still again. Clutching her bleeding ear with one hand, she stood up and studied the human’s face, taking it in her other hand to see if she was faking unconsciousness. When she didn’t stir at her touch, she released the head, sending it back into the humans curled frame. Janai turned away, heaving. After she caught her breath, she turned back around.

The woman was attractive, but that Janai already knew. The scar running along her face didn’t hinder her beauty, but shaped her cheek in a strange, appealing way. Her hair was a mess, as was Janai’s, and her shirt had somehow ridden up on her stomach during the fight. Janai blushed and quickly turned away as she pulled it back down.

_She’s a prisoner, Janai. And she bit your ear!_

She looked back down at the sleeping, non-threatening face.

_And she could be a little off her rocker at this point..._

Hearing a call from up on the ridge, Janai waved her hands to indicate that she was fine. Giving the okay sign to her squad, she took off her belt and looped it around the general’s hands in the front of her body. Like it or not, the human still had to fly on an inferno-tooth. She touched her ear once more before hoisting up the woman’s body and carrying her army style back to the tigers and her squadron. She quickly replaced the belt with real cuffs and composed herself.

 _You stupid, stupid human,_ Janai thought as she slung the woman over the side of her personal tiger and got on behind her. Her troops had woken up and cleared their heads by this point, but she didn’t trust the general with them. She was a skilled fighter with nothing to lose. She’d escape too easily. 

_Would I expect any less of myself?_

This thought caused a small smile to form on her face.

“I’m taking the human on my twin tail,” she called down to her men, her face back to its normal no-nonsense look. “Head to the castle and clean yourselves up.”

She ignored the pointed looks and angry glares she received and took off to the sky. The human stayed clutched around Janai’s arms so her limp body wouldn’t fall off during the flight. Luckily for her, the prisoner stayed unconscious during the entirety of the journey and only when she landed did the woman stir. 

“Wake up human. Hello!?” Janai called as she dismounted her tiger and called a servant over.

Janai waved her hands up and down in front of the woman’s face until she opened her eyes. She scoffed as her prisoner attempted to escape, not realizing her hands were bound and her feet were too tired to run. While she did admire the woman’s courage and could even argue on her behalf when it came to her escape attempt, the humans as a people had brought chaos to the elven kingdoms They murdered dragons and their children, not thinking of the effect their actions and slaughter had on Xadia. They murdered the dragon prince, and this woman was a direct part of that very crime. No...Janai’s kindness ended here. 

“You can’t escape. You are in Lux Aurea now. My home. My domain.” 

Janai smirked as the humans face fell. 

“We’re going to have so much fun,” she said, beckoning for another soldier to take the prisoner to her cell, “So much fun.”


	2. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will hopefully be posting a chapter a week, maybe more! It all depends on how busy I am and how much time I can write. I don't want to be posting extremely sloppy writing, so bear with me!

It was hot. Amaya knew it was going to be. What else did she expect from a Xadian prison? Ice, walls...civility? She was tossed into the ring of fire by one of her captors, a tall, sunfire elf with yellow lines swirling across his face, and almost hit the flames on the other end of the circle before coming to a kneeled position on the floor. 

_Fuck that hurt._

She roughed her hair with her hands, hoping to calm her pulsing headache. She squinted at the elf in her peripheral vision. He was saying something, but she couldn’t understand. His lips were too far away and lip-reading was tiring anyway. She didn't have time for that shit right now.

He walked over to her, and she tensed, expecting some sort of retaliation for being an asshole, but he merely grabbed her chains and attached them to a metal loop on the floor, making sure they were tight and secure before walking back to the edge of the flames.

He looked angry, _duh Amaya,_ and his brows were pinched creating a scrunched face. He started speaking again and she rolled her eyes, turning away and hoping he would leave her alone. They had captured her and succeeded in locking her away in a fiery prison. Congratulations. Good for them. Was she going to give them any information or show her confusion, even though she was confused? No. She was a general. She wouldn’t stoop that low.

 _I should glare at him again, make him hate me more_ , she thought, but when she finally turned her face back to where the elf had so rudely thrown her, she saw nothing but a wall of yellow and red flames. Seeing she was alone, she gently rubbed her wrists (Thank God for long chains), attempting to sooth them from the rough metal cuffs currently cutting off her circulation. 

_Water would have been nice._

She waited for a while, expecting another elf to come in and rough her up, maybe even attempt to interrogate her, but no one else entered. After at least an hour passed, she figured she might as well try to get some form of sleep while she was alone. Finding a semi-comfortable position on the floor, she realized she hadn’t slept more than 8 hours in the past two days, and this thought, along with her exhaustion, overtook her as her adrenaline slowed. As she slid onto the hot concrete, her mind started to wander. 

Where were Callum and Ezran? 

Were they safe, alive? 

Was that elf assassin girl still chasing them? 

Sarai had made her promise long ago that she would look after them if anything happened to her and Harrow, but Amaya had blown it off at the time, claiming that she would die in battle before the boys ever lost a parent. She had said a lot of things, and almost all of them turned out wrong. God she missed her sister. 

_It’s been so long, Amaya. Snap out of it! You’ve already made your peace._

Groaning, she raised her head to look at the ceiling and allowed her eyes to follow the lines etched in off-gold metal. The lines were sharp and dull, refusing to form any kind of a pattern. There were no walls in the circle of hell, but if there were, she could bet they'd be just as boring.

Slumping back onto the ground, Amaya sighed. The elves would be back, especially the one that had almost bested her on the breach. God their leader made her so mad with her smirks and the painted gold lines glimmering on her face. Even her armor was pretentious and gaudy. 

Shaking her head, she stared back towards the uninteresting ceiling.

Amaya knew she had done nothing to further her chances of escape. On her torturous return from the breach and her men, she had spit and clawed at the woman anytime she got close to her. She had no armor, no army, and no one to interpret for her. She wondered if anyone even understood that she was Deaf. She pretty much refused to look at or sign to any of the elves on their journey to Sunfire hell, or whatever this place was, and while a part of her wanted to survive, the other part was more than okay with convincing the elves that she was just a crazy general with absolutely no meaning to the royal family or anyone else.

She had already attempted escape once and got knocked out for her troubles, so that would never happen again. They would never give her another chance. If they were smart, they'd know her capabilities and weaknesses. 

On the plus-side, she was Deaf, which she knew could lead to a quick death once they realized she was worthless to them information-wise, as lack of communication was one way to end an interrogation before it began.

On the con-side, they might have an interpreter skilled in KSL, which was unlikely, but possible, and this would lead to a very different fate. One that Amaya was not looking forward to.

Instead of a quick demise, they'd beat her down to nothing. Amaya wasn't so proud that she would refuse to acknowledge the bitter truth; Everyone was breakable at some point. It didn't matter how good she was at playing the interrogation game or how high her pain tolerance was, she was still going to break at some point. All she had to hold on to now was the hope that she could give the kingdom time before she eventually expired. The elves could probably beat enough info out of her by the end of the week to breach the country once again, but she'd never give them intimate details. For all they knew, she was just a soldier under the guard of somebody else.

Besides, she would rather die than give up her nephews to these beasts. 

_Fuck._

She forgot about that. 

Sitting back up, she tested the strength of her chains, but this did nothing to shift her attention from the growing fear in her heart. Her nephews. Were they alive?

Sure they were pretty tough, except for Callum. And Ezran was also kind of...shit. They were already dead weren’t they... 

_STOP! Just shut up. Fuck._ she thought, ramming her hands into her head to distract her from the intrusive thoughts attempting to live in her brain.

She couldn’t afford to think that way. She had a mission. Sure, she already saved her men... and Gren would be okay without her. He would be upset, and would mourn, but being a warrior, he would get over it. 

_Like you got over Sarai?_

“Shut up” she signed to herself. Looking back toward the ceiling, her eyes again followed the meaningless divots. She would sacrifice her life for theirs if that’s what it took. She never thought she’d die this young though. Sure it was always on the backburner of her mind, she’d always joke about it, claiming she'd kick ass in the afterlife, but she never thought the mid-30s were the end of the line for her. 

_Mid-40s was always a possibility though..._

Sighing, she rolled over and tucked her arm under her head, barely taunting the chains. The brothers had each other and they were strong. Callum had his optimistic output, and Ezran had his little toad to keep him company wherever he was at. They would survive. They were okay. They were alive. They were strong. 

She repeated this mantra to herself over and over again until she felt sleep overtake her.

_They’re alive, they’re okay, they’re strong, they’re alive, they’re okay...strong….ali……_

* * *

Amaya slept surprisingly well for a half starved, water- deprived individual. However, in the middle of this well-deserved sleep, she was woken from her slumber to footsteps clapping on the stairs. She couldn’t hear worth shit but could feel the vibrations across the floor, and as she looked up, she saw the horns of her enemy, the elf who captured her, making its way down a line of stone stairs. It wasn’t the gruff, male one who had thrown her into the circle, but the female...the hot one whose life she saved back at the breach. Amaya sighed, she definitely didn't think that one through. 

She toughened out her arms and although they were chained to the floor, she kneeled to the best of her ability and glared at the ground, hoping to bring less attention to herself. Soon, two golden boots appeared in front of her and she forced herself to look up. The elf was suddenly in the ring of fire, eyes fixed upon Amaya’s. Her armor was bright gold and orange and her face held a smug look, with streaks of yellow that framed her face. Amaya turned her head away. 

She tightened her face, figuring it was better to act bold and self- assured than to give up before the interrogation even started; Not that it would even be an interrogation due to the language barrier. Did Deaf elves even exist? It didn’t matter. Grimacing, Amaya shot her head back up, hoping her eyes would tell the story for her: Not interested. 

The elf walked closer to her, slowly, before reaching down and pinching Amaya’s face with her hand. Amaya’s eyes grew wide at the action, and she quickly wrenched her face away, falling somewhat to her side in the process. She felt anger and fear well up in her, egging her to spit at or fight her foe, but before she had time to act on any of her emotions, her face was grabbed again. Tight. The elf’s face was soon in her line of vision and lips started moving. 

“What is your name”

Amaya scoffed, shaking her head to get rid of the 4 hands or fingers or whatever appendages were currently occupying her cheeks before staring at the elf once more, slightly laughing. Even if she wanted to respond, which she very much did not, she couldn’t, and until this elf figured that out, they'd be doing this for a while. And that was fine with her. The more distraction the better.

Turning her head away, she felt a heat on her neck and a hand forced her head back up in a tilted position.

“What Is yoUR NAME!” screamed the lips of her enemy, getting closer and closer to her until the woman’s lips were merely inches away. 

Amaya stopped playing games. The elf’s face was lit up with the same markings she saw at the breach and had seen during other fights. Hot lines of lava connect the arms to the face and legs and vice versa. She must have glowed like this when she walked into the fire, but Amaya had been too caught up in her mind to see it. The sight was somewhat alarming to her. She saw a flash of light and Amaya, thinking it a sword, unwillingly tensed up and reactively thrusted her arms to shield herself from whatever the elf was about to deliver, causing her to slam her arms against the chains. This motion forced her to her side in an awkward, painful position, one in which her arms were straining behind her.

 _Fuck that hurt…_ she thought, rolling back up to her side, her muscles on fire. She screamed a list of expletives in her mind as she struggled back to her knees. When she finally lifted her head once more, she noticed that the elf’s face had changed from angry to...something else. The cracked, yellow flames and red lines dimmed down until only the painted gold face lines were showing, and the woman knelt down to her level, looking deeply into her eyes. 

_What the hell is she doing?_ Amaya wondered, squinting her eyes to gage some sort of meaning behind her frequent staring contests with her opponent. This was getting way too personal, bordering on uncomfortable.

The elf stood up slowly, as if to echo her thoughts. She said something Amaya missed and promptly turned around. She stayed turned for a couple seconds before whipping back to Amaya, studying her face. After about a minute, her face morphed into understanding. She knelt back to Amaya’s level and pointed at her, shook her head no, and then touched her own scarred ear, the one Amaya had cut with her teeth during her escape attempt. 

“You can’t hear, can you?” the elf mouthed slowly, staring into Amaya’s eyes. Amaya quickly averted them, feeling extremely exposed, and ashamed? For some reason?

 _So she figured it out. What a detective..._ she thought, turning back to look at the elf. _What a fucking detec-_

The elf had stood up. Her face, though still regal and annoyed, had a sort of haze to it. As if she was somehow appalled that Amaya couldn't hear. Appalled that a Deaf woman had beaten her...no...DESTROYED her ass in combat.

“So that’s why --- my questions. You’re Deaf.” She suddenly laughed, “We’ve been interrogating --- with --- hands behind her back.”

Amaya saw words forming on the elf’s mouth, but she focused more on her captors outward appearance. The elf was laughing, her mouth partially open with one hand on her head and the other gesturing to Amaya. Was she laughing at Amaya’s Deafness? Did she think it was some sort of joke? Amaya grunted, kicking her legs out at the laughing woman, which she easily dodged.

The elf was skilled at avoiding strikes, or maybe Amaya herself was just sloppy at attacking, as her last meal was two days ago and had been without water even longer. The awkward attack didn’t matter to her though. Perhaps the hit did not reach its intended target, but it did halt the laughter, which Amaya hated in general. She did not enjoy being laughed at in any regard. 

The Sunfire elf collected herself and once again kneeled across from Amaya, her face softened as if with pity. Not appreciate the gesture, Amaya glared at her, hoping to show her unwillingness to break while also daring her to try.

“I will get an interpreter,” the elf said, announcing every word as if she was unsure of its meaning, and speaking slowly. “ You will talk.”

Amaya smirked as the elf turned and left the circle of flames. The pro side of things were looking a little bleak, but she'd still put up a fight, no matter how good of an interrogator this elf was. 

_Talk...good luck bitch._

* * *

Janai took one more look at her prisoner before walking through the fire ring. She was stupid. Of course the woman was Deaf. She didn’t notice Janai catching up to her in her first attempted escape, she stared at everyone in the camps...well, more than usual, and the human had continually made strange hand movements throughout every interrogation attempt Janai had tried.

_HAND MOVEMENTS JANAI...clueless idiot_

She turned the corner, thinking about interpreters and whether they even had an interpreter at the palace and if Khessa would even allow it...and...and what if the interpreter couldn’t even speak..or...sign in the Katolis language. If that was even the language the general signed. 

_Well this is great._ Janai thought as she leaned against the wall at the top of the dungeon stairs. _Where am I supposed to find…_

“Golden Knight,” a voice boomed from across the hall. Xander, one of her top soldiers came strutting across the floor, hands in the “your excellency” position. Janai rolled her eyes.

“You know I hate that,” she said, outwardly showing all seriousness but inwardly appreciative of Xander's antics.

Xander laughed, taking his hands out of the sun position and placing them on both sides of Janai’s shoulders. 

“Jokes, commander...just jokes”.

Janai smiled and shoved him off before dusting herself off in a nonchalant manner. Xander was one of her oldest friends. Not to mention her only real friend. Back when Khessa was busy diligently studying queenly duties, Janai’s parents had introduced her to him, saying she needed someone to keep her in line and fervent in her studies. She knew they were ultimately pairing them together in the hopes that the two would end up as something more, but alas, nothing ever happened, and the King and Queen were left unsatisfied. She would have told them the truth, that she wasn’t into that kind of...well...relationship, but they died before she even discovered that part of herself. Xander knew, of course, but even with the knowledge that no relationship would ever occur, he still remained her closest friend. And she loved him more for it.

“You know you can call me by my name you idiot,” Janai laughed, smacking him on his helmet with her right hand. “So what’s been going on here at home? Any rebellions? Drunkards stumbling into the palace when they’re supposed to be on duty?

“That was ONE TIME Janai, give it up already. I wasn’t tHaT DrUnK.”

“Whatever,” she said jokingly as she began walking towards the palace library. While she wasn’t much of a book reader, she was enamored by the beauty of the tall glass windows and gold-tinted door frames. She often came here to study battle strategies and find new positions in order to outsmart her-

 _Janai,_ she thought calmly, _not to be insensitive, but_ _your memory is absolute crap. _

She whirled around to Xander, almost tripping both of them.

“Hey Drunkard, do you know of any interpreters at the palace? Like, linguists or hand-signers?”

Xander looked at her with a purse in his lips. 

“I’m going to ignore the first part of that sentence, but yeah.” He paused, tilting his head up before pointing at Janai, a sudden epiphany in his eyes. “Yeah remember that one Monshadow elf that came here like...5...6 years ago?

Janai shook her head. Xander continued:

“Yeah, yeah, the one that spoke some weird dialect or something. We had an interpreter come to help us understand him. I was one of the soldiers in the room when Khe- her Radiance- was asking him about the human kingdom.”

Janai scrunched her face, “What about, like, a hand language interpreter. Like for Deaf humans.”

Xander looked at her with confusion and Janai immediately remedied her statement

“Elves,” she said, “Like for Deaf or mute elves”.

Xander smiled. “Now for humans, I dunno. Probably not since we’re here,” he said, pointing at the marble floors of the palace. “And they’re waaaaaaay over there,” he finished, his fingers pointing to a make believe place on a nearby wall. “But for elves, yeah! I actually know one of the interpreters and she’s great! Name’s Morea. Why? Do you need one?”

“I'm increasing my knowledge about certain human dialects, and was just interested. You never know what could be useful when engaging with dark magic users.” Janai knew she wasn’t very convincing and she could tell that Xander knew it too, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything about her explanation.

“Alright,” he said, stepping away from her and doing the sun sign again. “Well I’ll see you later Golden Knight. Lunch break’s over, gotta go guard your sis again.”

He started moving down the corridor yelling as he went

“Don’t have too much fun without me!”

Janai rolled her eyes as she waved goodbye. While her second order of business was to find an interpreter, her first was to ensure the human's survival, as interrogating a dead human, although tempting, was not helpful to the queen.

The prisoner hadn’t been given food in over two days, which wouldn't kill her, but would hopefully leave her in an uncomfortable state where getting answers out of her would be easier and less bloody. However, Janai forgot about water, as sunfire elves weren't as needy with it as humans were. 

If the human died before answers were received, it would be Janai’s fault, and she was not about to let Khessa complain about her lack of common sense. She quickly walked down the hall near the library, as if she went any faster, everyone in the castle would freak, thinking they were in danger. The Golden Knight never ran. Luckily up ahead, one of the servants was walking aimlessly down the center of the hall. She quickly got their attention, let them know that they were not in trouble (even though she knew they were NOT just “heading to the lavatory”) and instructed them to deliver food and water to the prison guards.

“Tell them it is for the prisoner. Let them know that I-no-” she reiterated, “that their QUEEN demands the prisoner be fed and given water so she does not pass out or die. If they give you any trouble or refuse, find me and let me know and I will deal with them.”

The servant turned and headed toward the kitchen as Janai headed back towards the library. The servant would listen to her, she was sure of it. However, the guards were another story entirely. They struggled to be civil to elf prisoners, so she dreaded what they would do if left unchecked with a human. Janai shook her head to clear her thoughts, smoothed down her armor, and put up a fake stoic frown. It was fine. And even if they beat the general up a bit, it was all fine. Right? She was a POW, a human…

A human with skills unlike any she had ever seen before. A human that could match her blow for blow...

_A human that was attractive._

“Janai”, she said aloud in a warning tone. “Don’t.”

Shaking her head and kicking up her feet, she groaned. It wasn’t like she was trying to think about the human...she just sort of, popped up. Constantly. In her brain...like a parasite.

She knew it would never work. Again, she wasn’t even trying to think about it working. Or about it at all. This...infatuation...was all just stupid want. Or respect...or both? No, The general was crazy and wild. She spit and clawed, and Janai knew the woman was actively cursing her out during every one of their interactions. She could see it in her eyes. Her dark, brown, glassy eyes.

Janai genuinely smiled a little before quickly realizing her actions, and almost immediately, as if the smile was never there, her face bounced back to its fake stoicism. 

She had an agenda. 

_You are no longer Janai. You are the Golden Knight. You are a member of the royal family. You will protect your kingdom._

Janai let out a raspy sigh. She was going to find a hand-speak interpreter, go back to that fire circle, interrogate the hell out of her prisoner, and then attack the human kingdoms, starting with Katolis. And nothing was going to stop her.

“Excuse me,” she asked, stepping into the golden, sun-themed library.

“Do you know of a Morea?”


	3. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter has TW for panic attacks, and honestly, it left me a little drained after simply writing it. So, don't read if you are sensitive to that kind of material. Enjoy!

Amaya was sluggish. She needed water. Badly. So far, the elves had decided she wasn’t worth it. Either that or they foolishly didn’t realize the importance of water to the human body. Elves had to drink water, right? 

_I also haven’t had breakfast in like...2...3 days?_

She cracked a small smile, forcing her dried lips open. 

_What would the boys think of you... breaking your own rule._

She could almost imagine their faces...playful “shame on you’s” and sticky jelly tart hands commanding her to consume the pastry. She sighed, preparing to switch laying positions when she felt a flash of pain in her side, the feeling all to familiar to her body.

_Really. A kick...that's all you got?_

She slowly opened her eyes, grunting. Two sets of boots were in front of her. She stumbled up into a less-vulnerable stance, rolling to a kneeling position, before looking up. Two elves stared down at her, and she did what she did best: she glared. It was two of the soldiers from the breach, and she carefully watched their lips as they began to speak, however, their body positions did nothing to aid her understanding.

“---feel right Miceh. She’s not... anything.”

“Shut it. Don’t -know who... is?”

One elf looked increasingly annoyed with the other. Both donned typical armor, however, neither wore headpieces, and their faces lacked the golden paint she was used to seeing. She could tell by their body language and facial expressions that their conversation was heated, bordering on angry. Tsk Tsk. Her men never bickered like that. Maybe after this was over, she could give the Xadian military tips on internal communication and mitigation techniques. 

_Oh yeah, they'd love that._

“Just give her... can be done.. with this. I don’t want-- longer than I have to”.

“She---brothers, Kay I don’t know why... having this conversation.”

As they continued to argue, Amaya's head started to rush as blood flowed quickly up her arms. She was starting to get unbearably hot.

Amaya continued to watch the two's heated conversation. She caught some of the words the two were exchanging, but not all. Sighing she looked away, used to being out of the know. She was pretty good at B.S.-ing what most people said, especially her nephews or Harrow...or...Viren.

 _Stupid shitty Viren_.

But she couldn’t read elf lips as well. Hell who was she kidding, she couldn’t read any lips well. And she'd been practicing her entire life.

_Wonder if Harrow knew how much I was missing at meetings..._

Suddenly, hands were at her face, flickering as if in a snapping motion. She shook her head back, startled, and wacked her left arm against her chains, forgetting for one small second that she was imprisoned and couldn’t defend herself.

“Hey you. Are you even listening? Hey!”

More snapping occurred until she finally looked the main elf in the face.

_I can't hear you idiot! Has word NOT gotten around yet?_

She felt the room get hotter, the blaze becoming more and more overwhelming. Her body started sweating, well, more than it had been, and her chest started to heave. In only a few moments, she felt as if all the air had left her body.

“Eat... foo. And--what," the elf's mouth was saying, "Drink it. Come man. Look -Say something!” 

Large hands touched her face, scraping against the scar on her cheek and the sudden heat caused her to panic. Her skin flared at the sensation, and immediately, an unseen button was innately pushed. Her mind thought on its own. She gritted her teeth and butted the head kneeling in front of her, her only goal to remove the fingers. Before she could fully process what she had done, her hair was grabbed and her head was violently forced up into the face of the taller elf.

A pain soared through her neck and her head began to ring. Attempting to back up, she once again strained against the chains. Now her whole body was aching and she felt herself struggle to breathe even more. She glared at her captor's face, which was closer than ever, now that his fingers were all over her.

_Fuckin hate yer face...fuck...._

Dizziness overtook her and she felt sick.

“What- wrong...you?!” the elf’s mouth said. His forehead was now a mottled grey and he was yelling, spit flying from his face. She felt the air and moisture land on hers and closed her eyes to avoid the spray. The strong slap of a hand forced her to open them again. He was screaming now, his face contorted in anger and eyes filled with hate.

“Look at me! What the Fuck is wrong with you?!” 

She could read his lips perfectly now. 

_Nothing!_ her mind screamed. Her hands started moving behind her back, attempting to communicate. To stop whatever this was. To show that she wasn’t stupid. _Nothing is fucking wrong with me! I’m not broken._

_I’m not--_

She was hyperventilating now, thoughts coming up into her brain. Forcing her to remember. 

_“Amaya can’t help us...can’t work. She can’t...communicate.”_

_"How is she--live on her own honey? She’s... not learning!”_

_No!_ she thought, attempting to quell the panic rising in her. _Not now...not again._

The hands once holding her head hostage let go, but she willed her face to stay strong. Instead of giving into her weariness, she stared ahead, eyes blurry and glazed over as she tried to read her captors’ lips.

“Is she okay? What-- do. You weren’t--posed-- beat her up!"

"It’s not my fault! She attacked--fucking... craze.”

_“You’re nice, but I can’t be in a relationship with you.”_

_“What’s she saying?”_

_“Is she, you know...all there?”_

"Give her--foo--Miceh! Queen’s go--be angry.

_“You only treat her like that because she’s your wife’s sister.”_

_“Can you, not bring your sister along?”_

_Shut up shut shut up!_ She was suddenly falling. Her sister’s hand. Dragons. Fire. 

_“You don’t need to whisper Viren. I’m Deaf”._

The conversations were all swirling in her brain, the past, the present...her thoughts were running fast, threatening to spill over into tears. Forget lip-reading. Forget communication. She closed her eyes, still panicking. Still feeling the urge to vomit.

Her mind turned off and she found herself rewinding time until she was back in that living room. Back in that uncomfortable, scratchy chair. Back with Sarai.

_"Breath Maya," Sarai said, braiding Amaya's long hair. "Inhale. Exhale...breath on 3...exhale. Safe...Safe...Breath."_

She complied with her sisters words until they became her own, breathing in and out as slowly as possible. There was no fucking way these elves were going to see her break. No fucking way. 

_Breathe….1,2,3...out...in...out. Safe…_

She felt her chest calm and released her arms from their tense position. Slipping from a kneeled position to a sitting one, she kept her eyes closed. She felt tears gather in their inner corners, threatening to spill onto her cheeks. She wouldn’t let them. 

_Breath…Breeeeeeeeaaaaaaathe damnit or I will kill you myself._

She was well over 100 counts when she felt the tears magically dry up. It took to 500 for her breathing to even out. When she finally opened her eyes, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The two elves were gone, and she let herself relax, dropping the façade and allowing a few shaky breaths to escape. Looking down she saw a tray of food and a goblet. Shame immediately filled her body.

_They were feeding you Amaya. They were bringing you food. And what did you do?...You fucking panicked._

Rolling her eyes and flipping herself off, Amaya waved off her thoughts and blew her hair out of her face. It wasn’t her fault she overreacted. What was she supposed to think? Again...she was in a prison! An elf prison. And she didn’t know those elves…

 _You don’t know the hot one either…_ her brain whispered. While she agreed with the thought, she also knew that maybe...just maybe, if that elf had been the one to deliver the food, she wouldn’t have had a fucking breakdown!

_Admit it...you kind of trust her._

She scowled and quickly shoved that thought out of her head. She didn’t trust anyone anymore, well, not fully. Much less an elf...even if said elf was, in fact, good looking, and very skilled in hand-to hand combat.

She felt a movement in her stomach and jumped a little at the feeling. Her hunger was becoming ever more noticeable, and she quickly slid her feet out from under her in order to scoot the once-forgotten food tray closer. After she managed to get it into arms distance, she attempted the same motion with the water. Slowly and carefully, she creeped the goblet towards her waiting hands.

She eventually captured the water with her fingers and almost smiled at her success. _I’m on a roll today. True Biz baby._

She ate hungrily, saving the water for last. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be without it. She took another bite. The food wasn't great, not by any means. But it definitely was NOT prison food. She paused.

_Could the food be poisoned?_ She chewed a bit more. _Yeah. It could definitely be poisoned._

_The question is_... _do I give a shit?_ She swallowed. _Nope._

Shrugging her shoulders in an "Oh well" motion, she continued eating. If they wanted to kill her, she figured they’d have a more clever, ceremonial way of doing it. One that required an audience, and a speech about how humans were “horrible creatures” and “savages.” They would make a big deal out of her execution in order to bring attention and awareness to the elven people about the dangers and atrocities of humans.

That's how she would do it, anyway.

When she finished her meal, she kicked the tray away from her, but kept the goblet for other purposes. Laying back onto the hot floor, she looked up at the ceiling; the gold and brown beams were still perfectly placed, creating a checkered look. The meaningless lines were still present as well. Turning on her side, she then gazed into the flames. They flickered and changed color, the yellows and oranges creating an almost hypnotic effect. She slowly started to close her eyes, letting their motion’s guide her into calmness.

 _This may be the best damn sleep of my life_ , she thought, feeling a peace wash over her as all her adrenaline faded. _I should get captured..._ _m_ _ore often..._

* * *

Kazi was tired. Sitting in the linguistics department of the royal library was not only boring, but tedious. They were an interpreter, but so far, there was no one to interpret for, so they’re job was sorting ancient Sunfire linguistic textbooks: stacking manuscripts and wishing they were more interesting.

“Hey Kaz...what’s up,” a voice rumbled in from the corner of the room. They instinctively tensed, immediately uncomfortable. 

“Um...I’m just, sorting linguistic textbooks.”

They heard a laugh and turned. Durene was suddenly in their face, throwing a piece of fruit around as if it were a ball, his orange robes trailing the ground at each toss.

“You know, if you had learned, say, more Xadian languages instead of human ones, you’d probably have more work,” the elf scoffed, taking a bite of an apple. “Just something to think about.” He chewed, mouth spitting with every motion

Kazi grimaced. Eating in such a sacred place was not looked highly upon.

“Well. You’re probably right,” Kazi eventually stated, murmuring softly, “but I do enjoy other cultures, and the human kingdoms are fascinating to study.”

The other elf laughed in an, "I'm obviously making fun of you," kind of way, mouth full of fruit; his arms reaching high over his head in a stretch as if he was in a practice arena instead of a royal library. 

“If you change your mind,” he stated, “I bet Morea would teach you how to read ancient Skywing scrolls. Nothing about humans is interesting...no offense.”

_Well that was just rude._

“You know,” they said after a moment, picking up a random book. “Your name is almost the same as one of the human kingdoms. They created major cities and monuments and gave many of them elven names, however unintended. Cool, don’t you think?” 

Durene grumbled, “The humans aren’t _that_ smart Kaz. But hey, you do you…if you find those savage creatures interesting, study the hell out of ‘em. Just don’t complain to me when you can’t find work.”

“I meant no harm,” Kazi yelled as Durene turned to leave, spewing apple spit every step of the way. Inwardly they smirked a little. 

_Well, maybe a little harm._ _But I guess he's partially right...I really can't find work._

They once again began stacking and shelving ancient texts. These books and manuscripts gave them joy and a thrill. Some of them had not been read in ages and others were so worn, they had an antique look to them, beautiful and crumpled. Kazi was glad that at least some elves wanted to know about their past. However, as they picked up another book, they noticed the pages were almost new. No one had been reading, “The human Kingdoms: A collective study of human culture” in the past century. They would have to add it to their ever growing list of reads.

“Kazi!” a voice said from across the library. Kazi was startled and dropped the heavy book, right on their foot. 

_Oooh that hurt_

“I’m so sorry Kazi. Are you okay?” Soon, Morea’s face came into view. 

“It’s perfectly fine,” Kazi said, even though the pain was great, “Just a little stubbed toe is all.”

“Are you sure? I could get you something to make it feel better. It’s no problem!”

Kazi smiled, grateful for Morea’s earnest-ness. They reassured her it was nothing to worry about and began to sit back down when they heard the voice of one of the librarians.

“-and as I was saying, our interpreters are the best in all of xadia. You wouldn’t find Moonshadow elves with such accommodations, nor Skywing either.” 

Another voice chimed in, “Perfect. A skilled interpreter is exactly what the queen needs.”

Kazi froze. Was that...the voice of the queen’s sister, the next in line to the throne: royalty. They had never really interacted with the queen before. Sure, Kazi had seen her on more than one occasion, and the Golden Knight was a fixture in the palace during special assemblies and other events, but to speak to her in person would be such an honor!

Two faces came into view, and Kazi stood up straight, hoping to give a good impression while at the same time, feeling nauseous and nervous.

“Ah, Morea, just the face I was looking for. Her excellency has been looking for an interpreter and I know she needs the best. Are you busy at the moment.”

Kazi looked over at they’re friend’s glowing face.

_Well, it was a happy moment when it lasted._

Morea spoke, “It all depends on what kind of interpreter you are looking for. For example, I am an expert on ancient Xadian languages and can read almost any type of dialect as well as ruins.” 

Morea moved her arms fluidly, as if telling a compelling story.

“Durene is a master of writing and speaks 4 out of the 6 elven languages, Oh! and he is also well versed in a few forms of dragon tongue...” She paused. 

Kazi here,” she said, pointing to them with a small smile, “Is an absolute expert at understanding, reading, writing, and translating both ancient human languages and current ones.”

Kazi waved awkwardly as the Golden Knight and the librarian looked at them. While the librarian was dressed similarly to Kazi, with a measly outer garment and tighter pants, the Knight was literally glowing. Her cheeks were golden and her sword was shiny and bright. Kazi had to force their mouth to close and their eyes to look away, so as to not disrespect the soldier.

“Do either of you know sign?” the knight asked, looking directly at Kazi.

“Kazi does!” Morea shouted in glee. Kazi smiled and shook their head yes. Morea also signed, but she was being considerate as always. She must have known they were not having a great day...or week for that matter.

_Or year..._

“May I please speak with Kazi alone. It’s a very...delicate situation and I would prefer if they alone heard it.”

“Not a problem,” both Morea and the librarian stated, laughing as the sentences overlapped. 

“My dear, you have been in this library far too long,” the librarian said, patting Morea on the back as the two of them walked away. Morea smiled and nodded her head at Kazi as she walked away, making Kazi blush. Morea was so sweet, and they thoroughly enjoyed her company.

“Kazi,” Janai’s voice announced, bringing them back into the moment. “Do you know any...human hand languages?” 

Janai’s voice was low and she continuously looked around as she spoke. Kazi felt their face perk up. 

“Oh yes!” they said excitedly. “I am fluent in 3 of the 5 human kingdom sign languages and am working on the last 2. You know, they are very similar sign wise but differ vastly in culture and in…” Kazi stopped, realizing they were rambling.

“Yes,” they said, taking a calming breath, “I do know human sign.”

The Golden Knight smiled at them before speaking.

“I have a prisoner who is from the Katolian side of the border and she is Deaf. Can you interpret my interrogation for me?”

Kazi gulped. Interrogation, torture, anger...these were all things they were not extremely comfortable with. They weren't fond of blood, or pain. Honestly the whole reason they got into interpreting was to escape their parent's notion that Kazi would go into the Sunfire guard, and taking a job at the palace was equally as status-giving as being a soldier was, so they got lucky in that regard. However, Kazi was still not good at being firm.

But, considering they were the only human sign language expert in Xadia, they knew they were the only option. They took a deep breath, speaking before they could change their mind.

“Yes, Golden Knight. I can translate for you.”

“Thank the stars!" Janai said loudly, raising her hands as if in prayer. After seeing Kazi's stunned face, the Golden Knight quickly regained her composure, smoothing her robe and readjusting her armor.

"Oh, and no need to call me that,” Janai said, waving her hand as if the title was a bug, buzzing around her ear. “Call me Janai. It will be so much easier that way. Are you busy now? Can I steal you away from your…” Janai looked at the stack of books piled up next to the interpreter. “Your...studies? Is that ok with you?”

Kazi nodded their head and followed Janai out of the golden library. While they were not fond of conflict and hated translating rude and hurtful words, they were also filled with glee. They were needed. While Morea knew Sunfire Sign Language, she couldn’t sign in KSL to save her life. Kazi alone held that knowledge, though they had never actually signed with a human before. The learning curve could be a little rough, but at least they knew there wasn't any other option, so ethics-wise, the situation was as good as it was going to get.

After travelling forever, moving up and down floors and hallways, the two of them reached a door in a corridor that Kazi had never seen before. They put their hands behind their back and twiddled their finger, hoping to hide their nervousness.

As they stumbled a little behind Janai and followed the royal into the dungeon, their fear quickly turned into excitement. Kazi giggled in their head. Durene said learning human languages was both obsolete and useless, but because of their knowledge, they were assisting the queen’s sister! 

_Durene_ _can_ **_bite_ ** _it!_

Kazi steadied themself as the darkness took over their vision.

As the two of them descended down the dark staircase, Kazi noticed how bright the room became. Soon, they were met with a huge wall of fire, blazing and crackling with incredible heat. And that was saying something, as they literally lived in the hottest place in Xadia.

“The human speaks some kind of human hand language,” Janai’s voice said, almost frightening them with its closeness, “I’m assuming it’s like elf sign...or am I wrong?”

Kazi lifted one of their fingers.

“Sort of,” they said, “Because all of our kingdoms and lands are spread out, each culture created their own form of sign language with unique signs that fit into their lifestyles. For example, being from Katolis, this...human, probably signs in KSL…”

Kazi continued their explanation and continuously answered the Golden Knight’s questions as they came. They were surprised at the in-depth questions she was asking and were more than happy to share their knowledge. Heavens, they hadn’t found someone to talk to about this in a long time. A long time being forever. No one ever cared about humans, and they supposed it was to be expected. The humans probably didn’t care about elves either.

“Follow me,” Janai’s voice said once they both reached the bottom of the stairs. The Knight turned, morphing her features into a more stoic-like, firm gaze. She walked slowly through the blaze and soon disappeared from sight. 

Kazi politely declined going through that route, and instead, began looking for a way through the wall of fire that did not require getting burned. Kazi, unlike Janai and many of the castle soldiers, was not fireproof. They were hardly even fire-resistant, and they're clothes were definitely not able to stand the test of extreme heat.

They searched for a bit, and quickly found a small lever sticking out from the side of the right wall. They put their full body weight on it until it shifted down, creating an opening in the otherwise fiery wall.

“Here goes nothing Kazi,” they said, taking another breath. “You’ve waited your entire life for this.”

They took one more deep exhale and slowly shuffled into the prison cell. Behind them, the wall of fire closed, leaving them alone with the next in line to the throne and a human prisoner.

Kazi really hoped that nothing would go wrong.


	4. A Pure Heart I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post the next chapter for the week. FYI, I won't be posting next week due to exams, so I'll see you in 2!

Janai pinched her forehead with her right hand and breathed a frustrated sigh. This human was causing more trouble that she expected. She gave the human food, water, untied her hands to be more accommodating and still, after all of that civilness, the woman told her to stick her sword up her ass. The nerve!

Janai literally had control over the human’s life. Was it really that hard for the idiot to understand? Did she not grasp the concept of interrogation? Or was she trying to die?

“Um...Golden Knight. Do you wish for me to go with you?” Kazi’s voice called from her side, forcing her from her thoughts. The trio was now walking the long path towards the throne room, passing the long corridors and tall doors along the side of the halls. The human’s face was in awe, her mouth agape as she slowly, but deliberately, travelled away from the group..

“She’s Deaf Kazi...so yes.” Janai said, yanking her wandering prisoner back towards her side.

Then she cringed. _Perhaps that was a bit harsh._

She looked over at the interpreter, softening her face as best she could.

“Sorry Kazi...I’m just a little stressed right now,” she said, glaring at the woman currently veering right, “I’m not sure what the queen will decree…”

_Probably something less than good..._

“But-” she continued, once again forcing the woman back. “This human needs to understand the conversation. She needs to know what the consequence for- “

“Oh My Stars! Can you **NOT** try to escape right now,” she blurted out, spinning her prisoner in front of her and pinning her arms to her side. The human’s eyes grew and her hair whipped across her face at the sudden stop.

Janai opened her mouth to once again berate the human when Kazi coughed. Janai looked up, noticing the shift in the atmosphere and following the prisoner’s eyes to the side of the room. The soldiers in the halls were all staring at her, either surprised at her outburst, shocked she was speaking to a human, or simply appalled that there was a human in the castle at all. 

Janai straightened her shoulders and morphed her face into that of a commander.

“Back to your duties,” her voice boomed, carrying across the length of the hall. “Everyone please get to your stations and stop wandering around the palace.” 

No one moved.

“Now!” she said firmly, watching as all the soldiers quickly dispersed and went their respective ways. 

Of course the castle residents would be too nosy for their own good. She just had to hope and pray that none of them leaked her outburst to Khessa.

Taking a deep breath, she looked her prisoner in the eyes. The woman smirked, clearly understanding the awkwardness of the situation, and shrugged her shoulders in a “what did you expect me to do” manner. Clenching her teeth, Janai forced out her next words carefully.

“Kazi…” she whispered, keeping her eyes fixed on the woman, “Would you be so kind as to let our prisoner know that she is...in fact...not only tied up in chains.”

Janai began to list on her fingers. _God it was like speaking to a toddler._

“-but (1) currently standing in a hallway filled with soldiers, (2) about to be judged by the queen, (3) in the middle of a Sunfire palace, (and 4) that is smack-in-the-middle-of-XADIA!” 

It took a second for Kazi to finish signing, but the moment they did, the human in front of her snorted and puckered her lips, nodding her head in a satirical manner and blowing her hair out of her face. Her brown eyes narrowed in a humorous way and her hair dipped over her cheek at an awkward, choppy length.

_The sun, she’s cute…_

_Wait, what?_

The revelation becoming clear to her, Janai felt a blush form on her cheeks and panicked, quickly whirling the human back around. 

_What the hell Janai. Seriously?_

“You think. You think you’re so funny…” Janai said, pushing the human to make her walk. Soon, she was picking up her pace in a worried frenzy, forcing her prisoner to speed walk alongside her. “Khessa’s going to slap that stupid grin off your face and….ugh!”

_Stupid human. It’s like you’re trying to make me mad. You’re so...so…_

“Your Knighthood...or Golden-ness….um wait for me,” Kazi called from some distance behind her, scurrying to catch up. Realizing her increase in speed, Janai slowed, allowing the younger elf to reach her. 

“We are wasting precious time,” Janai stated, explaining her increase in speed and attempting to hide the fact that the human had flustered her. “We need to get answers faster. Who knows what these… ,” she said, shoving the human forward, “these creatures have planned.”

“Humans are known for being tricky,” the interpreter stated, huffing a little from their hurried pace. “Their lack of magic and their disconnect from the elements makes it almost impossible for them not to be. I mean, could you imagine?”

“Imagine what?” Janai replied, forcing the ever wandering captive closer to the throne room. 

“Imagine being human,” Kazi said softly. “Imagine living like they do. Forced away from magic and... our life in general.”

Janai stopped for a moment. 

“I hadn’t thought about that,” she replied, careful to keep her voice nonchalant, as if she was only somewhat thinking about the question.

Kazi smiled at her and continued their shuffling, humming slightly and twiddling their hands in front of them. Janai, however, pondered Kazi’s words.

All her life she was told of the havoc humans caused. How they murdered the dragon king and his heir, how they slaughtered elves with no mercy. Humans were crazy, unethical creatures whose perversion of magic led to their demise. They were greedy, wanting what they couldn’t have and refusing to accept their fate.

_“You must remember Khessa,” her mother had said, long ago. “You must be a firm leader, unyielding in power. Strong and brave until death. Everything is for your people. Everything you do is to protect them.”_

_“What about me?” Janai had eagerly asked, reaching her hands out to grasp her mother’s horns._

_“You, my little star,” she would always start. “You are to study and learn. The humans are out there...waiting and watching. Other elves too. Your duty will be to protect your sister.”_

And protect her sister she did. Janai practiced battle strategies and copious fighting exercises on the daily, pledging herself to both her people and her sister as their sole protector. She practiced dispatching humans and vowed to destroy all of those that dared cross the Xadian border. She watched the border constantly, itching for a fight and hoping that some stray Katolian citizen would come wandering across.

_“Die human! AHHHHH” she screamed, beating down every scarecrow-like practice target she could see._

_Stab, move, dodge, kick, hit, claw..._

_“Really Janai? Stabbing practice-mannequins again?” Xander reached over, straightening one of the fake townspeople’s hats. “I mean really? What did that poor child over there do to you?”_

_Janai looked over at the burnt pile of bag and straw, weapons still drawn. Throwing a dagger straight where the small human’s mouth would be, she smiled._

_“She breathed.”_

Now, she was feeling something….weird: a pit in her stomach, a strange whirl of emotion that partially made her want to puke and partially made her want to murder a pillow.

Janai gulped…

_Shame_

Janai’s life and all of its entirety contained one, sole purpose: to kill humans. And here she was, leading a very much alive one to her queen, whom she vowed to always protect. She glanced over at the human’s face which was, once again, staring and studying the golden corridors. Perhaps she was memorizing it for an escape attempt, perhaps she was simply admiring its beauty...Janai didn’t know. And to be honest, she didn’t care. Humans were strange.

_But this woman...this...this insane imbecile of a general._

The human turned her face towards Janai, as if she had heard her thoughts or felt the latter’s stare. Her chin was sharp and her scar was a brighter red than before, but her eyes. Her eyes were shining, reflecting the yellow and orange walls and twinkling like the Sunforge itself. Her mouth formed a small, genuine smile.

_Honorable_

Janai knew this person was good. Sure, the human was an annoying, cranky, smart-ass who fought like her life was on the line, but, she was honorable. She saved Janai’s life when she didn’t have to...saved her life when Janai would have left her on the cliffside without a second thought.

_And we said humans were the savages..._

Janai felt a sense of panic and found herself dreading her sister’s ruling. Would she demand the prisoner be put to death? Tortured? Would Janai have to kill the woman herself? She paused. Would she ever learn the woman’s name?

_Yeah, because that’s the most important issue here, you idiot..._

“Golden Knight,” a soldier called out in warning. Janai halted quickly, forcing her prisoner to stand tall. The three of them were now at the throne-room doors. Beyond the two golden, metal slabs sat the queen. Khessa. Her noble, stern, but merciless, Khessa. 

Attempting to hide her flustered arrival Janai gulped, “I have a prisoner for her radiance. She is already aware of the matter.”

She wasn’t aware...the queen wasn’t aware at all.

The soldier nodded, believing Janai’s words

_Because why wouldn’t he? I’m the queen’s sister: her most loyal follower._

The elf gave the go ahead for the doors to open. Janai thought of the last time she had asked for an audience with the queen.

_“There is an issue with humans crossing the borders, your radiance. What do you wish for us to do about the matter?” Janai asked, hoping to get her sister’s permission to spy on the Xadian side of the breach._

_Khessa grinned, pointing her staff towards the crackling fire of the sunforge._

_“Burn them. Burn them all.”_

_“As you wish, my sister,” Janai said, smirking and spinning her sword in a hungry bloodlust as she left the room._

By the sun, she wished she could turn back the clock. The doors opened and Janai was ushered inside along with the unsuspecting human and worried interpreter. Looking ahead she saw a figure in the distance, her sister, dressed in hand-made golden armor and royal garb, laying in a relaxed state on the throne. The bright lights of the Sunforge lit the windows, creating a radiant backdrop for the queen.

_Well...change in plans Khessa…_

She thought nervously, beginning the long walk to the pinnacle of the Sunfire Kingdom.

_I got a little attached._

* * *

Amaya knew that she would eventually be taken to the queen or king of the Sunfire Elves. It was the obvious next step in the chain of command. Any elf she captured, if she had every captured one, would go straight to Harrow if they refused to cooperate, so she couldn’t really fault her captor on that one. 

_Though I suppose now I’d have to take them to Ezran._ She sighed. _That is, if he’s still alive._

Shaking her head, she attempted to rid her brain of the intrusive thought. 

_Think positively Amaya. Heaven's you're such a pessimist._

She came to an abrupt stop at two golden doors that reached up to the ceiling. Each one was adorned with beautiful patterns and ancient-looking etchings. The guard's faces held suspicion, their bodies tight and firm, as if they were waiting to strike. Their outlines only made the scene more picturesque. 

_Why are these elves so extra?_

As the throne room doors opened and Amaya was thrust forward, she spotted the monarch sitting on what looked to be a mound of dirt and sticks. Lamps were lit everywhere, as if the elves in the kingdom were going to forget which species they were. As she got closer, Amaya could see the throne in more detail. Everything was gold. The seat, the fingers forming a sun...the entire room was bright yellow. When she was forced onto the ground by Ms. “attempted to interrogate you but kind of sucky at it”, she noticed even the floors looked expensive with sleek, golden lines that spread out everywhere.

_Damn...Why are the human kingdoms so fucking poor when the Elven ones are made out of literal gold and silver._

She squinted, looking up at the queen who was currently watching her. Her face was dark, but wasn’t lined with the same yellow paint everyone seemed to be wearing. Hers was darker and more centered around the eyes. An angry scowl and raised eyebrows were the outliers of her beautiful face, and the moment the queen’s eyes met Amaya’s, she could tell that she was probably going to die.

_Well this must be the head of the Sunfire Kingdom. I'd introduce myself, but my hands are unusable at the moment._

_And I also hate you_

Amaya wrestled a little with the chains as the queen glared at her from atop her pedestal _._

The elf soon came down to her level. As she watched her descend, Amaya smirked.

_She even walks like a queen._

Amaya knew that walk well. Sarai always had her head up...was always ready for meetings and cordial events. Balls, dinners, you name it, Sarai was there, practically glowing with confidence and a sense of regality.

Clenching her eyes, Amaya quickly whisked the thought of Sarai away. This elven queen couldn't compete with Sarai at all, and all of this thinking about the past, about her own queen, her sister, hurt more than she'd care to admit.

The queen was now in front of her, eyes filled with distrust. With the interpreter being absolutely useless and refusing to get in front of her, Amaya knew she was on her own when it came to comprehending words and sentences. However, the queen didn’t say anything at all, only lifted up Amaya’s head with her small, pathetic excuse for a scepter. Amaya glared. The queen glared. Amaya glared some more, taking in the elf’s face, trying to determine what her response would be if Amaya did something foolish. The queen continued staring…so Amaya did something foolish.

Amaya yanked her face away from the queen’s *cutsie little wand* and, while deliberately looking her in the eyes with all of the spite she could muster, spit on her feet, as all of her other options were, at this point, totally exhausted. The queen, to her credit, did not flinch or react to Amaya’s disrespect, but instead, stood back up and stepped away from her. Glancing to Amaya’s left, her lips moved.

“Dis-poss-of her.”

_Well shit…_

While she knew that she was always going to die, that death was always the end game for her as soon as she got on that horse and said goodbye to Gren, she still felt a slim fear in her chest. When she died, there would be no one left for the boys. They would be alone...actually alone. They would never know what became of her, and Gren...poor Gren would think she died in the lava blast a week prior. He would never know of her actual demise and honestly, not having closure would hurt him more than the truth. 

_I’m sorry kids. I tried...I really did._

The queen was now back on her throne, and Amaya was expecting for someone to come eliminate her, preferably the hot one...it really would be poetic justice for her to die by the hand of the very elf she saved. However, as the moments passed, no one attempted to cut her head off or stab her. Yet.

“Not full, rid of her. She wah-less.”

_Okay, we already discussed this part. I know...I am a worthless human...I get it…_

Amaya felt herself getting hotter and she knew that soon, she would start to get woozy. Sweat was beginning to form on her forehead and she attributed it to the fuck-ton of fires in the room. Definitely not because she was freaking out.

She tried to glance around at the throne, but the only individual she could see was the queen. Amaya focused hard on the queen's face, but the distance was too great and the elf's face and lips were too dark. Her lips continued to move as if she was having a conversation, probably with the hot one (she really wished she knew that elf’s name. She couldn’t keep referring to her as the hot one...it was getting repetitive and boring).

The queen continued her speech and at this point, Amaya’s vision was too unfocused and her mind too tired to understand any of it. Was she talking to her soldiers? Were they discussing ways to get rid of her? Did she really just say sister? 

_You have a freaking interpreter...can you please utilize her?!_

Suddenly, one of the fancy looking elves came forward, waving a staff with a bright bulb in its center. The closer the elf got, the brighter the center of the staff became until soon, its brightness was all she could see. 

_You want me to go blind? Hell no!_

Amaya turned her head away, hoping to clear the sun-spots from her vision. She needed to see what was going on. She had to have her eyes. Panicking, she turned to look at her captor, hoping to understand what was happening. To her surprise, the elf's face held a look of panic, probably similar to her own, and Amaya knew she wouldn't be any help. She strained her head, hoping to gain sight of the interpreter.

_What’s going on? Is this how you kill people? With light?!_

She paused, still squinting her eyes and attempting to see around the bulb.

_Yeah, I guess that fits._

The beam grew brighter and brighter. Gritting her teeth, she forced her head to the side and closed her eyes. If this was how she died, so be it. At least she’d keep her eyesight and her dignity. She smirked. Maybe it was better that Gren believed she died saving him and her soldiers. Her legacy would be that of a general, ferocious and honorable till the end. She liked that better than "Amaya: General of Standing Batallion...deceased by way of shiny lightbulb".

Flinching, Amaya felt firm hands clutch her shoulders. Opening her precious eyes, she saw the worried face of her original captor, the elf's face morphed into concern and panic. Amaya was heaving at this point, fearing blindness if she dared look further into the sun beam.

“If-look...ight”

Amaya must have looked confused because the elf once again spoke and this time, her annunciations and deliberate accentuations cleared her words. Her body came closer, allowing Amaya's eyes to have better access to her lips.

“If you want to live...look into light”

_What? Look into the light? Why?_

Amaya could feel the heat grow on her neck and face. Her eye-sight was the most important thing she had. If she lost that, she would be helpless. She wouldn’t be able to live, to fight...her whole purpose would be gone.

Callum...Ezran…

_“If you want to live”_

Gren, her soldiers...

_“Look into the light.”_

_I have no reason to trust her, but I want to live,_ Amaya thought, forcing her eyes to stare. _Glare at the light, glare at the light, light...keep going._

Her vision got smaller and smaller. Blurriness took over and soon, light was all she saw. She felt the heat encompass her, reaching down into her soul and attempting to break her spirit. Her eyes were frying and every cell in her body willed her into shutting them.

_You’ll be nothing...worthless...unable to lead your men, unable to understand anything that happens after this._

The pits of her eyes were stinging and her brain screamed. Close them! Save them! Her panting increased and she felt tears stream down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if she was choking or sobbing and her shoulders began to slump even further. The pain was severe, threatening to melt her brain. 

_I want to live. I have to live. I won’t back down. My nephews. They want me...NEED ME... alive._

She continued to think of them...of her family and friends. The people she loved...and as the fire burned stronger, her soul brought forth a similar flame. As the last of her vision faded dark, amid the fear and despair, she felt a courage ignite within her. 

_You are worthy! Do it for them!_

So she did.


	5. A Pure Heart II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this next chapter! I will be taking another small break for exams, so I'll try to post another one next week sometime.

“A human with a pure heart...how original,” Khessa stated, a hint of intrigue in her voice. Kazi shuddered.

_See, this is why I hate interrogations. They always end with some sort of violence._

“Take her away,” the queen said scoffing, her regal appearance losing some of its original shine due to her incredibly offensive wording. Kazi noticed a feeling slowly edging up from a part of their soul they didn’t know they possessed: a little bit of regret and perhaps a small sense of pity for their Radiance. Kazi knew what the light did. They also knew that the monarchy had never used such measures on any of the elven citizens, claiming it was barbaric and cruel to test their people in such a way.

_And yet, we have no qualms about hurting other elves with our power. And now, humans._

The human prisoner’s face was covered in sweat and tears, and Kazi’s heart felt for her. Perhaps the humans were rightfully angry and untrusting of the elven species. If the sunfire elves treated humans like evil beings, then it was possible that evilness and corruption were an adequate response. 

“Enjoy your pet,” her radiance’s voice called out as Janai was leading the general towards the exit, away from the scornful looks of the queen and her soldiers.

_How rude._

In this situation, Kazi found themself to be relieved that the woman was Deaf. To hear such demeaning words and scathing remarks spoken in that way wouldn't aid the woman, only harm her, and she had enough going on right now. 

Looking back, Kazi saw the queen raise her eyebrows, as if to question Kazi's existence and presence in the throne room, so they quickly dropped their eyes and spun around.

Kazi scurried after their companions, hoping to catch Janai before she forgot about them. While they knew the queen meant well for her people and was known in the kingdom as a fair and just ruler for the Sunfire realm, Kazi knew they would have a different interpretation of her majesty’s actions if they were human, or any other elf race for that matter.

“Kazi!” Janai’s worried voice called out. “I need you to help me steady her.”

Janai practically howled for the guards to open the throne-room doors and as soon as the soldiers obeyed and the doors began to move, she started moving with them. Kazi quickly caught up to the duo’s meager pace. Grabbing one of the woman’s arms, they softly placed it behind their head, careful not to be the cause of any more of her pain. Together, the two elves managed to exit the chamber and walk to the side of the hallway.

“Golden-Janai,” Kazi started, lugging the woman’s arm back to it’s sliding position. “Is she going back to the fire?"

At Janai's confused face, Kazi quickly amended their statement.

"Her prison cell?”

Janie stuttered.

“No...um...yes? I don’t know!” her voice began to rise, clearly panicking. “I’ve never seen the light used on anyone. I don’t know what it does. I mean it’s bad, but I’m not sure what kind of medicine will heal her. Or if she can even be healed. Or if it’s permanent. I mean-”

“Hey, hey...please. Take a breath,” they said, hoping to calm their friend. “I know a little about what the light does and how to ease the pain. I’ve read many books.”

The human let out a raspy groan, and Kazi jumped a little at the sound, not used to the woman’s voice. They knew the three of them needed to leave the hallway as rapidly as possible, as soon, more soldiers would be arriving after the shift change. She could thank Morea for that tiny sliver of palace knowledge.

“Okay,” Janai said slowly and quietly, “here’s what we’re going to do…”

* * *

“I’m back!” Kazi called out, closing the door with their feet and being careful not to drop the tray of medical items.

“Perfect,” Janai said, attempting to soothe her still freaked out prisoner. She had instructed the interpreter to find her the appropriate medical supplies and to their credit, they seemed to know what salves and medicines to retrieve. While they were gone, Janai had managed to calm the human down, at least partially. They were now in Janai’s personal chamber. It was quiet, unguarded due to her expertise at killing wannabe assassins, and most importantly, secluded from the rest of the palace. No one would find them here...no one would know she let a human into her bed chambers.

Stars what Khessa would say to that...

“Golden Knight, what happened to your eye?”

Janai instinctively reached up to her face, carefully brushing past her cheekbone. Glancing at the human’s puffy face and glossy-white eyes she replied.

“The woman lashed out at me and managed to land a hit.”

“Oh,” Kazi stated softly before quickly spitting out their next sentence. 

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

Janai smiled, still gazing at the woman’s anxious face. The prisoner's eyes were still clouded and her face held a wary, but determined look. She was guarded, and it would take more than Janai's sloppy comforting skills to ease her worries.

“I know. She can’t see or hear, and I myself would do the same...probably.”

Janai sighed, taking in more of the human's face.

“She still doesn’t know its us...she thinks she’s going to die.”

The human didn't know who was handling her. While Janai hoped the general would recognize her touch apart from her men due to all the fighting and man-handling they'd been doing, she also knew that without any type of clues, it would be almost impossible to differentiate her presence apart from a random soldier’s. She needed some way to talk to her...a way to show her that she was not in danger of death. Yet. But the only sense she really seemed to have now was touch. And that wasn't overly helpful...

Or was it?

An idea flew into her head.

“Kazi. Can you sign to her...you know, by touching her hands? Is that possible? Is that...a thing?”

Kazi smiled and shook their head, “Yes. Deaf-Blind individuals communicate through tactile signing and I’m sure she will be able to understand some, if not all of my words, depending on how well she can follow me.”

Janai watched as the human rocked back and forth on the bench Janai had sat her on. The woman’s eyes were open wide, as if they were trying to gain focus, and her knees were up to her chest at this point, giving her an angle to kick her opponent. While she looked helpless and small, Janai knew at least part of it was an act. Her swollen eye could attest to that.

 _I have to show her it’s me,_ Janai thought, then immediately recanted.

 _Maybe not, since I_ **_am_ ** _the one who sent her to the queen in the first place._

After attempting to figure out what to do on her own, she eventually forfeited to Kazi and asked for help.

“What should I do, Kazi? How do I get her to realize she’s not in danger?”

“What did you do last time?”

Janai grimaced. “I grabbed her shoulders and made her sit down. Was that...I guess I probably shouldn’t have…”

She let out a long groan. Of course she shouldn’t have forced the woman down. That was exactly what an executioner did when they were about to kill someone. She was failing at this already, and she'd only known the prisoner for three days. She'd been the Knight of Lux Aurea for years.

“Yeah…” Kazi started, walking closer to her. “That probably wasn’t the best course of action, but it’s okay. You’re new to this.”

"I've interrogated people for years," Janai said defensively. "I can make someone talk in hours, with minimal burning. I can break spies down with a single blow or threat."

When she looked towards the bench, Kazi said nothing, only stood awkwardly by the human's side. 

"Okay fine. This whole-" she paused, motioning to the three of them."Thing..."

"I'm not used to it. You're right."

Ignoring Kazi's obvious anxiety, Janai snorted. She was dealing with a Deaf prisoner, one who was both intolerable and pure of heart. Said prisoner was now Deaf and blind as a result of the trial of light, a torture technique used on those with ulterior motives. Janai's sister was the reason for this complication, and now, the palace interpreter thought she was a psychopath. 

“Janai,” Kazi’s voice said, making her jump.

"Are you ready?"

Janai nodded, coming closer to them and raising her hands, unsure what to do next. Kazi graciously understood.

“Put your hand against her face," she instructed. "Carefully. Let her know that you aren’t a threat.”

“Ok, but if I get assaulted again, this time it’s your fault.”

Kazi gave a genuine smile, one that Janai thought she'd never see. 

“I’ll take that chance, Golden Knight.”

Rolling her eyes, Janai focused on the task ahead. She reached out slowly, and softly placed the palm of her hand against the woman’s cheek, careful not to show any type of malice with the action. Although the human flinched at first, her mouth in a snarl and feet readily coiled, as Janai’s hand warmed and softly stayed in its position, the prisoner’s face calmed and her face relaxed at the recognition. Soon, the feet came down and the woman was sitting instead of curled up in the fetal position. 

“Ok Kazi. I think she knows it’s me now. Go ahead. Do the tactile thing."

"Please,” she quickly added as a forethought.

Kazi knelt down at the now blind woman and carefully took hold of her hands, meeting no resistance.

“Let her know that she is safe. We have medicine, and hopefully, her eyesight is a temporary setback."

Janai paused.

"It is temporary right?”

“That is correct,” Kazi reassured, beginning their interpretation. Janai could tell that they started out with an introduction so the human knew who they were. She saw the woman’s face clear once she understood that Kazi was attempting to communicate.

The general signed back and Janai watched her hands. They were a little shaky, but flowed in a beautiful way, grasping onto Kazi’s hands lightly. The interpreter was following along, delicately allowing their hands to mimic the human’s motions. Altogether, the exchange was fascinating.

“I understand,” Kazi said, beginning their interpretation. “When will my eye-sight return? I am worried about-” they paused, waiting for the prisoner to continue.

“I need my eyes. I have to have my eyes.”

Kazi, after consulting Janai, assured the prisoner that her eyesight would once again return, hopefully in a few hours, but that it could be up to a day before she saw again. While Janai expected the woman to be upset at the news, she was surprised at the smile that graced the human’s face. It was a wide, bright one, not like the smirks she was used to. She felt herself smile in return.

“It’s happy news,” the human explained via Kazi. “I will see again. That’s all I want.” Kazi paused their interpreting after this statement, as if they were struggling to find the right words and mustering up the courage to relay the information as it was signed. Janai waited patiently, watching the human’s face morph from unsureness and worry to absolute sass.

_Oh boy...here we go._

“Now,” she eventually said via Kazi, “Why the hell did you try to murder me with the sun?”

* * *

Amaya was scared. There, she admitted it. She was never known to be an emotionally susceptible person, especially in the Standing Battalion, but that was due to her mastery at hiding her feelings. Sure, she would smile, crack a joke now and then, especially with Sarai, but fear and uneasiness were not common expressions for her. She hoped she gave off the aura of strength and courage, but in reality, she was a total softie, at least back in the day.

Her men saw it sometimes, especially during the latter parts of dinner (when wine became a little too frequent) and in sparring competitions (which she always won). Women saw it rarer...or never. Amaya knew relationships wouldn’t last long. One night stands were her thing and most of the time, her companions would refuse anyway, claiming the language barrier made communication difficult. 

Honestly, the only meaningful relationship she ever had was with her sister, which was love...but a different kind. Sarai was the only one that truly connected with her, and after her death, Amaya slowly but surely became someone else. Someone who hid from emotions and buried them deep within her soul.

_Emotions are complicated. Fighting isn’t._

Amaya wasn’t stupid. She knew that eventually, all of her demons would come back up to destroy her. Increased panic attacks, violent outbreaks...sloppy techniques. One day, her emotions were going to get her killed. However, right now, while she couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, needed some more food and really, really needed to sleep, her feelings weren’t the issue. The elves were.

_Damn, just kill me already. At least I’ll die honorably._

Amaya coughed as she leaned toward what she assumed was a wall. She was tired, her sunburnt eyes throbbing. She had the queen to thank for that. Desperately wanting to rest, she slowly began to ease towards the floor, however, the soldiers maneuvering her up and down stairs refused to let her. Instead, they continued to bump her along. They were definitely not well-trained in the art of swiftness.

God they were so slow and careless.

She tripped a few times and sloppy hands caught her awkwardly as she was practically dragged to wherever they were going.

_Maybe I’m going to my death...maybe she was lying. Fuck I can’t even think._

Amaya imagined the elf’s face in the flames, her lips moving and her eyes soft. Her captor had held a genuine expression of compassion on her face before Amaya was blinded. Perhaps she was actually trying to help, attempting to save Amaya from death. The thought was nice, but knowing a little about royalty and the crown, Amaya knew it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. If the queen wanted her to die, then she was going to die. That was how it worked.

That was how it always worked.

A sudden stop lurched her forward and Amaya groaned as she felt the sweat crawl to a stop on her neck. It was no longer hot or burning in the room, but she was still dizzy from before. From what she could tell, she was being transported up flights of stairs, not down. Therefore, she wasn’t headed back to her cell, which meant she was either going to a healing room, or her death. She had a firm suspicion of which one it would be.

_Time to put on a show..._

She faked fear, which to be honest, wasn’t that difficult to do, as her emotions weren’t too far off. Soon, she felt hands force her down on a soft surface. There was only silence and darkness to guide her in her next movements. She waited until the right moment and the next time she was shoved down by strong arms, she struck, thrusting her right hand towards the direction of the perpetrator. When she met flesh, she continued her punch through, hopefully striking part of the soldier’s head. After the attack, she quickly recoiled and retreated into a fetal- like position. Her arms were free, but without her senses, there was no hope to escape.

 _At least I got a hit in before my death._ _Not a good one considering my knuckles don’t hurt._

She braced herself, expecting a slap or a punch. She attacked the soldier, so the assumption that she was going to be hit back was not much of a reach. However, the hit never came. She waited, allowing her knees to eventually relax into her body.

And waited...

And kept waiting...

Apparently, whoever was with her was not the retaliation type...

_Oh shit…wait._

What if she wasn’t going to die? What if they were trying to heal her or help her? What if it was the elf and that interpreter? Of course it would be them: the only two elves she actually knew right now.

_Wow you really thought this one through. The sloppy maneuvering should have been a clue._

Suddenly, a hand was on her face and for a brief moment, she panicked. 

_No. Not again._

She winced when the hand slowly rested on her cheek and after a moment of intense fear and worry, of remembering what happened in the prison cell, she relaxed. She carefully touched the hand on her cheek and felt it’s softness. She understood. She was safe, or at least somewhat safe. The elf on the other end of the hand was definitely the same one that told her to look into the light.

_Okay, so the hot one is here..._

She released her hand from the one resting on her face and soon, the other hand was removed, leaving her cheek warm and cool at the same time. 

_Should I start signing? Is the interpreter here too?_

Hands met hers and fumbled around slightly. She immediately understood. The interpreter was attempting to communicate.

“I am Kazi, your interpreter,” the elf signed into Amaya’s hands, fumbling a little. It was somewhat difficult to follow along exactly, especially with fingerspelling, as the elf had 4 fingers while KSL was signed with 5. However, Amaya was quick to differentiate the letters. 

“You should see again. It is temporary and won’t last forever.”

“When? When will I see again… I can’t,” Amaya paused, quickly composing herself. She didn’t need to show them her panic. She still didn’t know them that well...and she was still a prisoner. No matter how polite or kind Kazi seemed, they were still untrustworthy. She couldn't afford to let her feelings waver. 

“I need my eyes. You understand? I have to see. How long?”

The interpreter paused and Amaya assumed they were talking to the other elf. Hopefully, one of them held the answer she was looking for and would be able to ease her fears. If her eyesight didn’t come back soon, she would be in a prison with no way to defend herself. The thought was disheartening at best. She was still planning on breaking out, and there was no way she’d succeed without her sight. They’d capture her before she left the room.

“A few hours to maybe a day,” the interpreter signed into her hands.

_Oh thank God, that’s not bad._

“Sorry about your eyes...the trial...we didn’t know.”

Amaya was taken aback by this. She could feel a sense of pity on Kazi's hands and quickly turned away, hoping to hide her face. She didn't want their pity. She didn't need it, or their apologies. She was taken to this hell by Sunfire elves, knocked out by a Sunfire elf, beaten up and almost killed by Sunfire elves and their queen. She hated elves.

And then a tiny fear crept in the corner of her mind.

She was was also fed by Sunfire elves and saved by Sunfire elves too. Not to mention she saved one's life not too long ago. These feelings were confusing and the messages she kept receiving were conflicting at best. Right now, she didn't want to think about it. Right now, she needed to focus on her eyes.

“It’s all good,” Amaya eventually replied back, “I will see again and that’s all I want.”

_That and escape…_

The hands left hers and she felt a cool cloth on her face. She felt the salve seep into her eyelids and wondered how that was going to help her when the issue was in the eyes themselves. She felt the cloth wrap around her head and quickly swatted what she assumed were Kazi’s hands. 

_I can do it myself._

She tightened the rag and smoothed the part around her eyes, massaging the cooling lotion around each one. Kazi's hands attempted to regain their position on hers and she refused, motioning for them to stop. This next part she wanted to sign uncontested and unaided.

“Now," she started, forming a bitter look on her face. “Why in the fuck’s hell did you try to off me with the sun?”


	6. Hello, my name is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with a lot of stress from both work and school. Hopefully next week will be better and I'll be able to update once again! Again, let me know if there are any pronoun slip ups :)

“Well, she’s got a mouth, that’s for sure,” Janai said, rolling her eyes in the process.

“Whatever, I’ll bite.”

Janai motioned for Kazi to begin signing, which they quickly understood..

“I’ll tell her what happened with the light and why we wanted to 'murder her with the sun' if she tells me her name and what her people were doing on the Xadian border.” Janai’s voice was strong, tinted with sparse bits of comedic pauses.

The prisoner shook her head at this and quickly retorted back with a few scathing signs peppered with insults. Kazi neglected to interpret the beginning of her rant, as much of the signing was either a curse, slang that they didn’t understand, or a string of middle fingers, but halfway through the interaction, actual sentences began to form. And they weren't good ones.

“Um, she’s really upset about things…” they began, focusing on the signs that graced the woman’s hands.

“I’ll tell you my name,” the human finally signed, obviously exasperated with the entire exchange. “Only my name, if you tell me the rest. It’s not my fault I’m Deaf.”

Kazi turned as they spoke the final word. Janai’s face had switched from annoyance and impertinence to slight shame. What the human said was true. It wasn’t the woman’s fault that she was clueless to what was said in the throne room. It would be, after all, common decency to explain the light and what it meant for her to be pure of heart.

Kazi could tell Janai had come to the same conclusion.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

“Wait,” Kazi started cautiously, “are you actually going to tell her _everything_ that happened?”

They were somewhat concerned and surprised that the knight was planning on relaying information that could harm her in the end. Like the fact the queen was her sister or that she had ordered the human’s death before the trial. However, truthfulness and opacity were critical when it came to interpreting, and they would prefer to continue interpreting in such a manner.

“Everything that matters,” Janai replied back, raising an eyebrow at them. “So no.”

_Or not. More omissions...great._

Kazi then recalled the quip the queen had released from her lips the moment the prisoner was taken out of the throne room and decided that, perhaps, omissions weren't too harmful.

When Janai started talking, Kazi listened and interpreted whatever Janai meant, careful to word things in a way that would make sense to the human. Tactile signing was difficult, and they went slowly as to ensure each concept was getting across. This was a bit frustrating to both the human and to Janai, as oftentimes a sign had to be repeated or switched to allow for the prisoner’s understanding, and it was obvious that both women lacked the required patience needed for the task. Kazi found this to be quite comical, considering both were revered soldiers who commanded countless troops both in and away from battle. 

Perhaps they used it all up fighting each other... 

Eventually, Janai managed to explain the queen, cleverly leaving out the bit about herself being a princess. 

While Janai had given Kazi her reasoning, stating that “no prisoner would ever take me seriously if they knew I was royalty,” they had to disagree. Some elves they knew had mentioned the Golden Knight’s royal status, bringing it up as if she had reached her position by nepotism alone. While her lineage may have played a role in determining Janai’s level of power in the kingdom, Kazi knew that no mere elf could have ever succeeded the way she did. There was no one else as powerful and skilled in the kingdom.

_Which I suppose is a problem, as a human fighter was able to best the Golden Knight during combat. Not that I’d ever bring that up to her. Janai would have my head..._

Hands waved in their face suddenly, and Kazi was immediately back in the moment. The prisoner frowned, signing the “what’s wrong” hand gesture, to which Kazi meekly answered, giving her a “sorry,” before continuing their interpreting.

First day on the job and they were already slipping up.

After Janai finished the issue of the queen and the palace, she then moved on to a more thorough explanation regarding the “shiny lightbulb” as the prisoner had called it.

“The light was a way of measuring pure of heart to determine if a prisoner or stranger is worthy. If they are found guilty of dark magic or warped, dangerous emotions that could harm our people or our queen, they are killed.”

“So…” the human eventually replied via Kazi’s mouth, a firm frown on her face. “Did I pass the test?”

“That depends,” Janai spat out, her sarcasm not missed by Kazi. “Are you dead?”

The woman took a minute to process what she said, and instead of replying directly back to Janai, the prisoner tapped Kazi on the shoulder and fingerspelled their name before asking a question.

_[Is she always this cranky? It’s like she wants me to mouth off…]_

Kazi snorted and almost fell back off their crouched position. The prisoner smirked and Kazi quickly shot her a “haha” motion before looking at Janai, a smile on their face. The Golden Knight did not look pleased in the slightest.

“Well?” she asked, motioning to the prisoner. “What did she say that was so funny?”

“...Oh…” Kazi started, coughing to clear their throat from the chuckles. 

“She asked if you were always this, um, cranky?” they continued, shooting Janai a nervous grin and shrugging their shoulders. They could see Janai’s eyes glaring into theirs, and immediately, Kazi regretted everything. 

Janai’s eyes narrowed and she turned toward the human, glaring in obvious annoyance. 

“You,” she said, pointing and coming closer to the prisoner, as if she could hear or see her the interaction. 

“You think you’re hilarious, that you can treat me with such disrespect,” she started, her face getting angrier and angrier by the second. Kazi could tell that Janai was about to lose her cool. The prisoner, however, was still pleased with herself, her face continuing to smile. 

“I’m trying to be civil and offer you knowledge! You’re lucky I’m even doing this.”

_Why did I have to laugh?_

Before Kazi could begin to relay her angry words, Janai spoke again.

“This tough woman act is getting tiring. We’re done. You’re going back into the fire.” 

Glancing at Kazi in an obvious annoyance, she motioned for them to begin.

“You are the interpreter. Interpret!”

Kazi quickly answered, “Yes Golden Knight,” and began to relay the information to the prisoner. The process took minutes, as they had to continuously ask Janai to repeat phrases and had to re-sign many sentences when Amaya became distracted. As Kazi eventually signed the whole message, Amaya's cheerful face switched to anger and then soon fell to a solemn blank as the news of her well being came into the conversation. Once all the information was fully conceptualized, she shrugged.

_[I suppose I deserved that.]_

“She understands,” Kazi said, helping the prisoner to her feet, preparing to help her down the countless flights of stairs waiting for them. The woman got up slowly, massaging her eyes and running her hand through her damp hair. Kazi stumbled a little as the human leaned on them, not expecting the heaviness or the action.

The human was most definitely exhausted from the days events.

“Wait,” Janai said, stepping closer to the pair, her hand stretched out, almost touching the human. 

“What is your name?”

After a bit of reshuffling, the human gave off one of her recurring smirks and shook her head.

“That is a common sign for-”

“For no...yes Kazi, I am aware,” Janai said, pursing her lips. While she stood tall next to the human, she appeared smaller and more unsure. Sighing, she reached over and brushed Kazi’s hands away, leaving hers in their place, her face full of false confidence. The human flinched a little at the motion, but soon settled in the new hands, her firm frown morphing slowly into a small smile.

“Kazi, how do I sign...you know…”

“What are you wishing to say?” Kazi said, somewhat confused by Janai’s actions, but still willing to help. They were merely an interpreter. Janai could do or say whatever she wanted.

“Please,” Janai said, softer this time. “How do you sign please?”

Kazi showed their friend the sign, instructing her how to sculpt the proper handshape and circle motion on her chest. Janai mirrored them, and the prisoner froze at first, as if she couldn’t comprehend the word. However, as the seconds passed, the woman eased up and began to sign again as Janai removed her hands. The human felt around for support and Kazi quickly ran to her side to steady her.

“Will you tell me yours as well? I know Kazi, but I don’t know you.”

Kazi quickly filled the gaps between the human’s sweaty hands and glanced over at Janai with what they hoped to be a dire expression. 

“It is just a name, Golden Knight. Surely it can lead to no harm.”

Janai groaned and briefly rested her head on her fingers. Kazi could tell she was thinking, but the content of the thoughts remained unknown to them. 

“Names mean everything…” they heard Janai mumble under her breath as she released her head from her fingers. 

“Agreed,” Janai suddenly burst, startling them. “You go first.”

The prisoner cocked her head sideways, as if to gauge whether or not the elf in front of her was fibbing or being truthful.

“How do I know you’re not lying,” Kazi said for her as the prisoner’s hands flowed over their body, shuddering slightly. One of her hands slipped through their grasp and began to slowly massage at a still-blind eye.

“You don’t, but you’re in a prison. I’m doing this out of curiosity alone.”

Kazi signed again, forcing their hands up against the human’s heavy weight. They could tell the woman was very tired. The light had wiped the fight from her and by this point in time, all the adrenaline had released from her body. Instead of a cocky, humorous retort as Kazi expected, the human merely sighed. Outreaching a shaky hand, she began to fingerspell.

_[A-M-A-Y-A]_

“Her name is Amaya,” Kazi almost shouted, their face almost assuredly lit up with glee. It was nice to have a name. Instead of referring to the human as, well, a human, they could now refer to her as Amaya, which was definitely not the name they expected, but a name nonetheless.

Janai, too, looked pleased with the outcome, and nodded, giving Kazi the go- ahead. They grasped at Amaya’s waiting hands.

_[J-A-N-A-I]_

Amaya finger-spelled the name back to them.

“Janai.”

She paused, and slowly began to hunch over, her hands and arms releasing their grip on Kazi.

“Nice to meet you,” she signed, wiping her head with her forearm.

“I think I’m gonna pass out.”

* * *

Janai felt a small panic in her chest when the human fell forward. Kazi had said something along the lines of “I’m going to faint” and before she could properly process the words, the human’s body was already dropping. 

“Curses!” she yelled she collided with dead weight. While this “Amaya” wasn’t extremely heavy, the feeling of her body against Janai’s was not helping the latter’s bombardment of intrusive thoughts. Within seconds, she found herself on the floor, Amaya’s head lolling against her chest and the human’s hands curled into Janai’s chest, which was just what she needed: more touching.

“I think she’s unconscious…?” Kazi’s voice piped from mere feet away. The interpreter reached their hands up, and then back down again, as if they were trying to find a way to help both soldiers off of the floor.

“Yes. Kazi. I figured.”

Picking up Amaya’s head, Janai rocked it side to side before gently dropping it back against her chest. 

_Deja vu much? Stars it’s like all she does is pass out._

“Yes, she’s definitely no longer with us,” she said, hitching her arms around the hum- Amaya’s waist and preparing to lift. Turning toward Kazi, she noticed their eyes and face emitting horror and fear. Rolling her eyes and lamenting, she continued.

“No longer with us at the moment. Like...knocked out. She’s not dead! I’m not that horrible of a jailer!”

She could see Kazi’s face immediately brighten and motioned for them to help her move the woman’s body up and off of her own. Janai could do it herself, of course, but after the events of the day, she was tired and unnecessary physical exertion was not one of her top priorities. 

“Stars, Kazi. Who do you think I am? Letting a prisoner die-” she snorted. “I’d rather fight them to death in a more honorable fashion. Not exhaust them to death... This-” she motioned, carefully swatting the prisoner’s head. “This is not my type of… _thing_.”

“So, you’d rather kill them in a fight?” Kazi muttered as they finished helping her set the human back on her original bench. 

“Well, yeah,” Janai said, shaking her hands and body to get rid of her muscle strain. “I mean what else?” She knew Kazi understood the honor of fighting, or at least they knew of the importance of it. If Janai was going to kill anybody, it would have to be in the heat of battle. The adrenaline, the fervency, the heat...dispatching enemies was acceptable in fighting situations. Her fear and hesitancy never failed to dissipate, allowing her to protect her kingdom, and win every war she encountered.

_Well, almost every one...stupid human._

“So, you’re okay with killing Amaya,” Kazi stated, reaching out to grab the nearby bucket of salves and ointments, “but only in battle?”

Janai followed Kazi’s lead and kneeled on the floor, still steadying the human’s head.

“What is it Kazi? I can hear the shrieking whine of your mind.”

Kazi handed Janai a clean towel, replacing Janai’s hand with their own. Carefully unwrapping Amaya’s eyes, they spoke.

“I just find it interesting, is all…”

“Interesting how?” Janai asked, pausing to determine whether questioning the interpreter was the best course of action. Giving into her curiosity, she continued, “What are you getting at?”

“Well,” Kazi said softly as they tossed away some of the human’s previous bandages. They had gotten snagged on Janai’s armor during the human’s fall. Apparently, the ripped cloth was not up to Kazi’s standards as “nurse,” not that Janai minded, as the general wasn’t going anywhere in her current condition.

“You say you hate her; that you want to kill her.” Kazi said, removing another ripped bandage from Amaya’s face. “Yet, here she is, in your very bed chambers.”

Motioning for Janai to help them, Kazi quickly finished their thought.

“You are giving me very mixed signals right now.”

“What are you implying?” Janai warned, glaring her eyes into what she hoped was Kazi’s soul. To their credit, they paid her no attention and continued unwrapping until Janai’s “Hey!” cut through the air and her hand lightly tapped them.

“I’m just bringing attention to the duplicity of it all,” Kazi said slowly. 

_The fuck are you talking about, Kazi?_

“You want to kill her, but only in battle and not right now, while she is indisposed and unconscious. Do you not realize how silly that is? She’d be dead either way.”

Janai took a moment to fully soak in Kazi’s words before replying, her voice rife with discomfort and coldness.

“It isn’t the death that matters, Kazi. It’s the way the death happens.” she said quickly, trying to explain herself. “ There is no honor in killing an enemy when they’re helpless.”

“But-”

Janai interrupted, “Yes, I know. But death comes either way. I don’t...can’t explain the difference okay. But it’s an important distinction. Killing someone like that, it’s not...right.”

This was the difference between honor and dishonor. Janai knew killing someone in the heat of battle was instinct: necessary. The action could be forgiven in the eyes of the kingdom and her ancestors, but killing a foe as they lay defeated and nonthreatening was different: deliberate. It would be the equivalent of taking a piece of yourself and murdering it along with the enemy. 

_She could never explain away that type of violence. Well, unless the person was truly evil...which Amaya obviously wasn't._

“There is no forgiveness in the action of killing out of war.” she eventually said, standing up to dispose of the cotton bandages in her hands. While she was sure Kazi would misinterpret her words, or think her foolish for having a different opinion for the same outcome, they didn’t say anything, and continued to peel away the soaked cotton.

Walking back after discarding them in a nearby bin, Janai found her gaze wandering. She noticed the fervency of Kazi’s motions and the nervousness that now encapsulated them, which was probably...no definitely, due to Janai. Khessa had always been the one with communication skills. Janai got the impulsiveness and anger, which suited her well in obtaining victory in most physical activities, but did nothing to aid her relatability-wise. 

Her eyes left Kazi and traveled up the human’s body until they landed on Amaya’s sleeping face. Kazi had finally finished the unwrapping, and the prisoner looked worse than before. Her eyes were closed, and firm, dark circles staininh the skin under them. Her lips were partially open, and the closer Janai walked, the more visible the sweat marks became. Her hair was greasy and stuck to her head as if she had gotten stuck in the rain and didn’t towel off beforehand. All in all, the human looked fairly pitiful, and Janai was wondering how she ever lost to Amaya in the first place.

Thinking back on previous events, she smirked, picturing Amaya in her full armor, riding that stupid animal across the narrow path full of explosives.

_It was all that attitude and impertinence. Made her look 12 feet tall. Unbreakable._

Amaya groaned a little in her sleep, and Janai anxiously stooped down and placed her hand on her prisoner’s forehead. A dim panic had claimed her heart, and she felt a warmth spread through her body as Amaya shifted towards her hand. Before she could stop herself, Janai smiled. It was for a split second and Kazi didn’t see, but in that moment of error, Janai understood.

_Shit._

Janai had to admit, self-awareness had never been her type of thing. Thinking back on her past and spinning through the wheel of poorly made choices had never eased her anxiety or fears as the Golden Knight. Impulsive decision making and sloppy self-care practically ran her day to day life, especially out in the field. That was what made her good.

But right here, right now, Janai could finally admit one thing to herself. Looking at the somber, slightly-drooling, peaceful face in front of her, it all finally clicked. 

She didn’t want to kill Amaya. 

She never really wanted to kill Amaya.

All those scouting missions, all the fighting and watching and practicing...none of it was meant to end her life. The human general seemed untouchable and unattainable, and while Janai knew she had fought with the intent to kill, she also knew that subconsciously, she never expected to get that far. Amaya was never supposed to get captured. None of this was supposed to happen. 

But it did. And now, she would have to deal with the fall out. 

_At least she won’t be dead...the light assured that. Not that I want her alive or anything._

“Kazi, are you-” Janai stopped, glancing back at Amaya’s face. Newly set bandages and topical medicine had since been applied, and Kazi had already stood up to dispose of the remainder.

Seeing Kazi’s concern at her abrupt sentencing, Janai quickly continued.

“Nevermind. I was going to ask if you needed assistance, but it looks like you’ve got everything taken care of.”

After no response was given, Janai added an, “uhhh...good job,” which received a smile from the interpreter. 

“I don’t know when she will wake up, but she is in desperate need of food and water. Not to mention a shower. She’s really filthy.”

Janai grimaced at the abruptness of Kazi’s words and their insinuation.

“I fed her a while ago, and gave her water, but she hasn’t bathed since she arrived. I didn’t…” she stammered, hoping to reclaim control of the conversation. “I thought her stay would be shorter.”

“As in….that she’d be dead by now?” Kazi’s voice cried, raising an octave. Their eyes were wide and fearful and Janai started getting upset. It wasn't like she was the bad guy in this situation.

“Well, yes, and no. I didn’t think she’d get captured in the first place, but I also thought…

_Why are you explaining this to them? They won't understand._

“you know what, nevermind.” 

“But-”

Janai flung her hand in a sharp “no” motion.

“No, Kazi! No more questioning me! Okay? She’s still a prisoner. My prisoner. Stop second-guessing my actions...”

Janai could feel her frustration rising. She was getting tired of feeling like the enemy, like the one who killed without thinking of the consequences. She wasn’t a blood-thirsty, hungry for murder type of person. She was good and fair. She had standards. And Kazi’s consistent questioning was making her go crazy.

“Listen.” she said, voice firm and unyielding. “I’m doing my best to be a just knight for our kingdom. You haven’t seen half the things that I have. You haven’t fought humans before or seen their destruction. So while I know your words are well-meant, I would appreciate it if you’d just ease up on the blaming...okay?”

When she was met with no response, she let out a sigh.

“I know she seems...innocent, but she’s still a human. She killed some of my soldiers, even threw one into the lava on our last mission. You can’t forget that.”

Janai turned quickly, avoiding Kazi’s reaction. She needed to go kick something. All of this “interrogating” was wearing on her. The human was unconscious now, and there was no point in staying in her chambers merely to argue with someone beneath her. She was supposed to be asking the questions, not answering them.

“I have matters to attend to. When the human awakes, take her back to the fire.”

“Wait, what?” Kazi’s voice said from the far end of the room. 

“It’ll be fine!” Janai called back, opening the door to leave. Thoughts started racing through her mind as her fingers grasped the door handle.

_Leaving them alone with the human...that’s dangerous…_

_She could escape._

_She’s blind and Deaf, so I think we’re fine._

_But if she did escape...you’d have someone to blame, and you wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore._

_If she escaped, you wouldn’t have to kill her._

_But your duty is to the kingdom, so you need her here. You need to get more information about the humans._

“The chains are hanging up on the wall. You know the way to the prison, and I doubt she’ll feel well enough to run away, not to mention she’s in a guarded castle.”

Janai knew this was technically a lie. Amaya had already proven her determination before when she knocked Janai’s squadron out with ease and almost escaped. It would be irresponsible to leave a helpless interpreter with a deadly prisoner, but she knew the human had a moral code. She wouldn’t harm Kazi. And a real, successful escape wasn’t possible anyway. She'd be captured before she descended a single floor.

“I’ll be back soon. You can lock the door if you’d feel more comfortable that way.”

“Um…” Kazi stuttered. “Are you sure? What if she tries something?”

“I’ll send Xander up to check on you,” Janai said as she left the room and headed toward the large practice arena a few floors down. She needed to destroy fake humans. Was leaving Kazi alone both irresponsible and dangerous? Yes, but at this point, she was done with the bombardment of moral questionings and deep quips that came out of their mouth. She needed violence. And there was a significant lack of it in her bedchambers.

After a few minutes of walking and ruminating on the whole “pure of heart” situation, she heard running and heavy breathing. Gripping her weapon, she quieted her thoughts and prepared herself for whatever was coming.

“Golden Knight!” a voice cried as she passed the throne room doors. Turning she saw one of her soldiers sprinting towards her, a fervent look on their face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, releasing her sword and placing a hand on their shoulder.

“A human…” the soldier panted, taking a few breaths before continuing. 

_What? Did she escape already?! I was gone for only a few minutes!_

“There’s a human at our gates. He says he’s the king of Katolis!”

Janai breathed a sigh of relief, and then furrowed her brow.

The king? Here?

Janai pursed her lips. Perhaps Amaya was more important than she thought. Why else would he be in Xadia, if not to collect one of his generals?

Well, if the king of one of the human kingdoms was here, that meant he wasn’t protected. While Janai didn’t want to kill one certain human, she was more than happy to end the life of this new one. Perhaps that would clear her mind…they couldn't all be pure of heart.

“Well let’s invite him in then, shall we,” she said, smirking and clutching her sword.

“I’ve never killed a king before.”


	7. The King Arrives, and Kazi Curses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I've been pretty sick the past few days.  
> Just a disclaimer, I don't know much about Queen Aditi or how she died, so everything I've written here is just my interpretation of what could be.  
> Enjoy!  
> I also don't know when I will be able to update this story, as I have many exams coming up and this election is putting a halt on things as well. Hopefully I'll update in the next weeks.

Amaya awakened long after Janai had left. Kazi was somewhat worried by their Knight’s instructions. As faithful to the kingdom as they were, there wasn’t a chance that Kazi could keep Amaya contained if she didn’t want to be. Amaya was a soldier, and Kazi was...well...not.

They were beginning to wonder if she wanted her to escape? 

Kazi didn’t mean to offend Janai. But then again, Khazi wasn’t used to talking or conversing with elves anyway. Perhaps they said something wrong or upsetting, something that made the Golden Knight angry. So angry in fact that she left her prisoner alone with an interpreter whose only strengths lied in their mind, not muscles.

Hands were suddenly moving and Kazi turned to meet the confused face of the prisoner. Amaya’s hair looked greasy and sticky. Her mouth was in a line and her eyes were still closed, but she continually rubbed them, as if she was trying to pry them open or release whatever seal they had acquired. 

Wait.

Kazi could see her eyes. Crap.

“Amaya, no don’t-” they started, noting the bandages ripped and piled up next to the bench. The human made quick work of their destruction, leaving pieces of cloth in her wake. Kazi groaned, thinking about how long it took them to bandage her up. And now they would have to do it again. 

Until Amaya’s eyes opened, and a glimmer of recognition shined through. 

Kazi quickly waved in her face, hoping to get her attention. 

“Can you see me?” they repeated multiple times, hoping the human would be able to respond. If she could see, it meant no more bandaging, which meant Kazi didn’t have to waste time again. It also meant that Amaya could see that it was only Kazi in the room with her. Which meant that in a few minutes, Kazi could expect an escape attempt. 

“Kazi? That you?” Amaya’s hands said shakily. Rubbing her eyes yet again, she stood up and attempted to walk over to them. However, Kazi could tell that Amaya’s body wasn’t ready for such an action. As soon as she took a step, the human’s knees buckled and she fell forward. 

Kazi ran towards her, but luckily, Amaya’s hands caught her fall and the human awkwardly swung around so her back was against the floor. Panting, she started signing as soon as Kazi’s head peered over her. 

“I’ve been doing this a lot lately.” 

Kazi laughed, taking in Amaya’s flushed face and red-rimmed eyes.

“You’ve been through a lot. Your body is protesting.”

Kazi could see that Amaya was trying to roll her eyes, but her focus was still in and out as her pupils continued to dilate. They were happy that her sense of humor was still intact after the whole "fainting" ordeal.

“Can you see me?”

“Kind of,” Amaya replied, attempting to swing her body up to achieve enough leverage to escape the floor.

“I see your face and hands, but everything is still blurry.”

Kazi reached a hand down to help pull Amaya up into a sitting position. Kazi gave her the “you good?” look, and Amaya waved them off, nodding her head. 

“Can I help you to the bench?” Kazi asked, hoping their facial expressions gave off a calm and collected look instead of one laced with worry and fear. They were dreading what was an inevitability at this point. 

“Yeah...no” Amaya signed, as if she read Kazi’s thoughts and thought them comical. “I’m escaping now.”

Kazi’s eyes grew wide and they started panicking. Amaya was soon off of the floor and on her two feet, hobbling toward the exit. Kazi stepped closer, looking for a way to contain her in the room. The chains were on the bench and they weren’t known for their fighting skills, so this wasn’t going to end well for either of them. Panicking, they ran towards Amaya, arms out. 

As Kazi was about to yell for help, Amaya turned and smirked. They slid to a halt only inches in front of her and scratched their head, wondering what protocol came next. Amaya must have been able to see Kazi’s worry, for her face softened and she reached out a hand, gripping their shoulder.

“I’m just kidding Kaz. I couldn’t escape, even if I wanted to.”

Kazi breathed a sigh of relief as Amaya turned and started walking back to the bench.

“A little help, please?”

Kazi rushed forward and steadied the human, helping her hobble back toward the bench. When they had almost reached their destination, Kazi stopped, having an idea. A very bold and un-Kazi type of idea.

One that might get them in trouble with Janai but also not because Janai was the whole reason they were stuck with a human in Janai's room in the first place. 

“Actually, let’s get onto the bed,” they said, switching directions and leading Amaya towards the beautiful, king-sized mattress, filled with pillows and blankets. It was Janai’s bed... _not that it made a difference_ , Kazi assured themself. Any bed would be fine. And it just so happened that they were in Janai's room, so there really wasn't any other choice.

“Kazi…” Amaya warned, attempting to switch directions and head back to the bench. 

“It’s fine. Janai left me with you...so if anything, I’ll get in trouble for this, not you.”

Amaya patted them on the shoulder as Kazi helped her sit on Janai’s magnificent bed.

“Besides, you need to lie down, and neither a ring of fire or a bench is adequate enough for the task.”

Amaya smiled, swinging her feet up onto the bed, careful to kick off her shoes.

“Why Kazi, I fear I have corrupted you.”

Kazi smiled at the words. It was nice to have someone to talk to. It was even nicer to have someone to talk to that signed. Morea was a good friend, but that relationship was...different. Here, Kazi wasn’t continuously asking for more or tripping over their words trying to get someone to like them. 

This was just...talking. 

Perhaps Amaya and them would become friends. That is, if she didn’t die or escape first. 

“So,” they started, looking Amaya in the eyes so she would focus on what they were saying. 

“When was the last time you ate? And bathed?”

Amaya sheepishly turned away, her hands kneading the bed sheets and face staring off at something in the distance. Sighing, she looked back at Kazi.

“I’m...not sure. I don’t know how long it’s been. I haven’t showered since the breach, but I’ve eaten once since being here.”

“WHAT!” Kazi yelled, startling Amaya and themselves. No wonder Amaya was consistently passing out and getting sick. Her body, however fit and strong, was practically eating itself in order to keep the human alive and breathing.

“Amaya, it’s been days. You’ve been here for days.”

Amaya nodded, her nonchalant face watching Kazi’s hands. She eventually shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand, as if to brush away Kazi’s words.

“It’s fine. I’m a prisoner, so I expected this much. Although,” she paused, sinking into the bed and closing her eyes.

“I didn’t think I’d be such a wuss about it.”

Kazi felt the anger in them grow. Of course Amaya would think it was fine. Of course she wasn’t fed. The sunfire elves either didn’t know what they were doing...or worse: they knew, and didn’t care. Amaya could have died because of their negligence. She was pure of heart, and they still didn’t care. It was as if this new information changed nothing about Amaya’s treatment.

At least Janai was on on their side. Hopefully.

Kazi quickly stood up, smoothing down the rumpled bed sheets that their body had made. Still frowning, they thought about their next moves carefully. Amaya needed food and water. Looking back over their shoulder, they could see the human waving in and out of consciousness. Perhaps she was sick as well? Or hurt? What if she had wounds?! 

“Ughhh,” they groaned, placing a hand on their head to steady it. Why was this left up to them? This was not the job Kazi signed up for. They loved interpreting things like meetings and tours...translating books and manuscripts. Interpreting between a prisoner and captor was not something they liked doing, especially not when they actually liked both parties and wished both no harm. 

Especially not when one of them was human.

“Ok,” they said, turning around. “Here’s the plan. I’m going to go get you some food and then…”

They paused, noticing the lack of response, signing or otherwise. 

Stopping their speech, they scurried over to where Amaya was laying. Her eyes were closed and a slight snoring noise whispered through her nose. 

Kazi exhaled loudly and attempted to calm their swiftly-beating heart. For a split, short moment they thought Amaya was dead and that they would have to explain everything to Janai.

Luckily for them both, Amaya was still alive.

_Okay...I have to get her some food. She needs it or else she might actually die. And then, maybe I can convince Janai to let her have-_

“Hello?” came a voice from outside of the door, followed by a rapping of knocks. “Kazi? Are you in there?”

Kazi screeched before slapping a hand over their mouth. Xander was knocking on the bedchamber doors. XANDER! Janai had said something about how she was going to send him up to help guard the prisoner, but the prisoner was now asleep in Janai’s bed, which wasn’t part of the plan. And Xander was a member of the queen’s guard. The QUEEN!

“Kaaaaaaziiiiii,” the voice said jokingly, still knocking. “Are you alive?”

As Kazi walked to the door, hoping to be able to explain everything and prevent the human from almost dying yet again, they said something they never thought would come out of their mouth. 

“Well... shit.”

* * *

“Where is he?” Janai demanded, walking toward the front of the castle. Her sword was drawn at this point, a little excessive, but threatening nonetheless. She wasn’t about to approach a king without a weapon pointed at their neck.

“Um, he was taken captive by the main gate and should be on his way inside. We were going to await your orders but-”

Janai waved them off. It was fine. While she would normally be irritated by her squadron’s lack of proper procedure, this situation was different. This was a person of power, and going through the proper channels wasn’t necessary. What _was_ imperative, however, was containing him and lessening his chance at escape. 

“Give me the rundown,” she demanded, quickening her pace as she passed the first set of castle walls. She could see her guards up ahead, a shorter, paler face among them.

“Well, he said he was the king. And that he had information for the queen. But as for that, he doesn’t really seem to be all...there?”

“Explain,” Janai said, passing the second wall. The figures were becoming less blurry and she was able to better access the situation. There were multiple soldiers gathered around the king, weapons drawn.

_They better have chains on him or I swear...someone is getting kicked off the force._

“He keeps...whispering to himself. Like he’s waiting for someone to give him the answer before he says it. It’s…” they paused, scratching their head. 

“It’s a little creepy.”

Janai squinted her eyes, suspicion beginning to fill her mind.

“There’s a reason for everything,” she eventually replied, swinging her sword in a small circle by her side. 

“It may be a trick, or he may be hiding something.”

 _I’d bet my life that this one is full of dark magic,_ she thought, stepping across the last of the palace barriers. At this point, she could fully see the picture in front of her. The king was old, his brown hair was going slightly grey, and his right eye was clouded, much like Amaya’s was after the light blinded her. He wore a brown, embroidered overcoat and on his head was a strange looking crown. As she got closer, she noticed a suspicious purple jewel fastened on his jacket. 

Eventually, she was right in front of him. 

She took a moment to continue her examination. He held no weapons, at least, none that she could see. 

“Did you search him?” she asked, still looking the king over. He smirked at her, wringing his hands in front of him and peering at the men around him.

“I’ve no weapon. I come in peace.”

“Did I ask you?” she retorted, raising her eyes at the soldiers gripping him. They quickly tightened his arms at her nod, and she motioned for another to fully search her new prisoner. 

“Why are you here?” she asked, once the search was conducted. 

“I am here for a peaceful purpose,” he started, looking her up and down. Before he could finish his sentence, she scowled and thrusted her sword up his face, until it was lifting his pathetic excuse for a head, edge barely grazing the soft part of his neck. 

“Are the human kingdoms planning an attack?”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Are you all planning to get captured eventually, or is it just your higher ups that are this careless?”

The question was more of a taunt than anything, but the king’s confused expression and silent muttering led her to a different conclusion. 

“You don’t know, do you?”

More whispering. She waited, wondering if this was a condition similar to Amaya’s. Perhaps he had some sort of issue that caused him to repeat things. Whatever, she eventually concluded. It wasn’t her place to judge. It was, however, her place to determine whether the king was a threat or not, and considering he was both human and royalty, there was little to no chance that he didn’t have a finger in dark magic. 

“Know what? Have you captured someone else?”

“A general,” she said, careful to avoid mentioning Amaya’s name aloud. Captors weren’t supposed to know the prisoner's names. To do so would equate them to a somewhat equal status as an elf, which would be both dangerous and careless. She came up with the mandate herself.

_Yet another rule I’ve broken for that woman._

“They’re in a fiery cell, similar to the one you’ll be in,” she lied. 

“Perhaps you can chat before your inevitable demise.”

While she was prepared for an onslaught of questions, a worried expression and possible outbursts of anger (after all, she did capture his best soldier), she was only met with a blank expression. He looked, mildly annoyed?

He eventually sighed and rolled his eyes, igniting a small flame of rage within her. 

“Amaya...lovely,” he muttered, as if his annoyance wasn’t with the fact that she was captured, but that she was still alive, and that coming into contact with her was a small possibility. The fact that he used her name was also strange, considering names held power. What kind of king was this?

“Look,” he eventually said after whispering, “I’m not here for her. I don’t care. In fact, do with her what you will. I’m here for a more important matter. More of a...family situation.”

“Like what,” she growled, her inner rage growing. How could this man...this king, not care about his top general: his number one soldier who managed to foil her plans countless times. What kind of king would cower out of responsibility and give her “permission” to “do what you will” with one of his subjects.

Something about this was off. Something about _him_ was off. 

“I know what happened to Queen Aditi.”

Janai clenched her teeth and shut her eyes. How did this _human_ know about her grandmother? Her Aditi.

_Janai, my sun, come here. Look!_

_“Grandmother!” she whined. “Seriously. I’m busy!”_

_“Janai. Calm your temper.”_

_“But-”_

_“Is that any way for the future Golden Knight to act?” her grandmother asked, reaching out to grab her hand. Her face was laced with gold, her brown locks flowing down her sides, framing her body and complimenting her eyes. She smiled, cupping Janai’s face._

_"Let me oil your head. Your horns are coming in, and you-"_

_"Need to learn to take care of them...yeah, yeah. I know."_

_Her grandmother frowned, her wrinkling face marred with warning._

_"Janai. I'm serious. Your sister has already mastered her horn and hair care. She's always presentable and ready for the day, while you run around with this."_

_Aditi motioned to the rat-nest of hair piled atop Janai's head._

_"UGCKKK ," Janai groaned. "Grandmother, you know I have better things to do. Who cares about my hair. I like it short anyway."_

_"My sun-"_

_“Grandmother, we do this so often, of course I oil my head. And stop calling me 'my sun'. You know I'm to old for that,” Janai whined, attempting to break her elder’s grip on her wrist._

_“May I go practice, please? I promised Xander I’d spar him today, and you Know how he gets when I'm late_ _.”_

_“Janai,” Aditi said, her hand releasing from Janai’s wrist, allowing Janai access to the door._

_"You don't understand._ _I have to go away for a while, and I just wanted to spend some quality time with you."_

_"Wait. What?" Janai asked, spinning around with a puzzled look on her face._

_Aditi continued, “There’s trouble in some of the other kingdoms, and I must meet with some SkyWing leaders to discuss these things.”_

_“But, what about mom? Is she not going?”_

_Standing, her grandmother placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled, bringing her face down to Janai’s level._

_“She’s the queen. She’s needed here, my sun. As are you."_

_At Janai's suspicious face, Aditi laughed, "I can spare a day or two to help out my old friends deal with their issues. I'll be back quickly."_

_"Fiiiine," Janai said, coming back towards her grandmother and the array of oil jars around her feet._

_"I'll let you do my hair and stuff. But only once! I can't go around with fancy knots like Khessa or nobody would take me seriously."_

_"Oh how tragic," Aditi said, slapping her hand on her heart and laughing as Janai scrunched her face in annoyance._

_"Grandmother, you're lucky I love you."_

_Love you...love_

_Love_

"I'd love to tell you more about her," the human said, tearing Janai away from the last good memory she had of her grandmother.

The last good memory of her entire childhood.

Janai tightened her jaw and showed her teeth. How dare this man say her grandmother’s name aloud. How dare he think he could blackmail her into giving him what he wanted. 

As she began to tighten her grip on the sword currently touching his chin, she stopped herself. She needed to stay calm. She couldn’t afford to kill him, at least not yet, and with this new claim, he was valuable alive. 

She needed to get him to Khessa. She would know what needed to be done. She always knew what to do.

“Well, _human_. We’ll see what our queen thinks about this “information.””

Turning around, she demanded the soldiers accompany him and her to the throne room. Instead of chains, she had him encapsulated by her squadron, therefore making it impossible for him to escape without injury.

Ignoring the growing pain in her heart, she sheathed her sword. Another day, another human going into the most vulnerable part of the palace. 

Khessa was going to kill her.


	8. Long Live the King I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus! This chapter is really short as I was in the middle of writing when I got super sick, and long story short, Covid + a chronic illness = long expensive hospital stay. But I'm back now and I will hopefully begin updating every 1-2 weeks. I'm also going to condense multiple chapters so it's easier to read, so don't be alarmed if the 14 goes down to 6 or so.  
> Again, thanks for your patience!

“Sister,” Janai announced boldly as she made her way to Khessa’s throne. She quickly took stock of the array of important faces in the room, each looking at her with furrowed brows. Although she was technically royalty, Janai was still treated as an inferiority to many of Khessa’s advisors and mages. Apparently, "Golden Knight" was still not a title large or honorable enough to gain the council's undivided support and respect, and although she was heir to the throne, Khessa was bound to have children sooner or later, meaning Janai would lose that title as well. 

Rolling her eyes as an adviser gave her a head to toe eye undressing, she slowly knelt down, spreading her hands in the proper Lux Aurean greeting. 

“Your Radiance,” she said, “Another human has come to Lux Aurea.”

Ignoring Khessa’s sceptical look, she continued rather sheepishly.

“He requests an audience.”

Khessa sat up in her throne, her face contorted in a “you see what you’ve done now” kind of look that Janai was all to familiar with. While Khessa wasn’t adept at commanding battalions and sending scouts to infiltrate other kingdoms, her pointed looks and aghast sighs made up for it. Janai usually took it in stride, but today, things were a little more complicated. Today, she had two humans to worry about.

“Put him in a cell,” Khessa said, waving Janai off. Her face, per usual, was that of an unbothered queen. _Gross._

“But this human is the king of Katolis!” Janai started, a little too fervently. She berated herself quickly for her emotional outburst, but she needed her sister to understand. This wasn’t just a man. He was a king, which meant capturing him could lead to conquering parts of the human kingdom that were once Elven territory. Holding him for ransom meant holding Katolis for ransom, which was so much better than capturing a mere general. Katolis would be forced to obey any commands from the Sunfire Elves if they wanted their king back unharmed. This was exactly what they needed.

Plus, Amaya would be bumped down in her excellency's list of things to be angry about.

But, Khessa refused to listen, which was nothing new, stating that the king could have a “nice, extra-hot” ring of fire. Janai sighed, forcing her hands to stay clasped instead of aghast at her face. She was hoping to avoid the spectacle of informing her sister of the man’s words, especially in front of an audience, however, Khessa gave her no choice. Typical.

“He says he knows what happened to Queen Aditi…” she said, looking to the side of the room. Was she using her grandmother as an excuse to question this man? Yes. However, she was also curious as to what information this man could offer regarding her grandmother’s abrupt disappearance and subsequent death. 

She could feel herself breaking as soon as her thoughts traveled to the past, so she quickly brushed it through her head like an intrusive thought and focused on her sister’s response. 

“What does he know?”Khessa spat, her tone filled with anger and suspicion, of which Janai was usually the cause.

Janai swallowed, looking her sister in the eye.

“He refuses to tell me. He claims that he will only speak to the queen on this matter.”

Khessa squinted her eyes as if she was trying to see if Janai was lying, which was absurd, as Janai had never lied to her. Withheld information, yes, but never lied. 

_ You seriously think so little of me. _

“There must be another reason. Why would he travel all this way, just to talk with me about our ancestors? Hmm?”

_ Does she expect me to know the answer? _

“Sister,” Janai said, stepping closer to the throne, “As I previously said, he refuses to talk to me. I asked him why he was here-”

“He’s here to rescue that other human, isn’t he. He needs his precious general back and will lie about our grandmother in order to obtain information on where she is located.”

Khessa stood up and raised her scepter to make a royal decree, which was a bad sign. Khessa plus humans plus her status did not mix. Whatever she said would be law, meaning she could kill the humans before Janai could object. And Janai needed both alive, one for information and power, and one for...other reasons. She hadn't thought that far yet.

“Sister, wait. This king. He is not here for the general. He, for some reason, does not care for her or her well-being. However, it is necessary to-”

Khessa laughed, interrupting Janai’s words, “He’s obviously lying, sister. He’s the king, of course he wants his worthless dog back. These humans are so predictable. You of all people should know this.”

Chuckles were heard throughout the room. The quiet advisors and guards were no longer bound to silence, and their laughs and distasteful faces began to fill Janai’s head. They were laughing at her, ignoring her pleading words and voice of reason.

They were gas-lighting her, brushing away Amaya’s accomplishments in battle and Janai’s expertise in scouting and compiling information under the guise of idiocracy. Janai was a lot of things, hot-headed, angry, righteous, unyielding, but an idiot, she was definitely not.

As their laughter turned to displeasure, Janai could feel her face heating up, her embarrassment slowly festering into rage. 

When an advisor strutted over to Khessa and whispered something in her ear, causing her to smirk, Janai broke.

Before she had a chance to calm herself, her body was lit up with fire. She didn’t deliberately choose to get this emotional over words, but she wasn’t skilled at masking her feelings.

She actually sucked at it quite badly.

Khessa had stepped on a nerve, and now, judging by Janai's glowing hands and the looks on Khessa’s face, her sister knew it too. This whole situation was absolutely perfect.

Janai grimaced as she attempted to quiet the fire running through her veins, preparing herself for Khessa’s next obvious move. The kind she had made before, back when Janai was still a child and lacked the self restraint necessary to not fight her sister where she stood.

“You...you like her, don’t you Janai,” Khessa smirked, touching her scepter to her lips in a teasing manner. “You are attached to this human woman.” 

_ “You like her! You’re in love with her,” Khessa screeched, running away from Janai’s outstretched fist. Khessa raced into the right corridor and Janai quickly followed, dodging Khessa’s shoes as she rapid-fired them towards her face.  _

_ “You liar! I do not!” Janai protested, cornering her sister and removing her own shoes. _

_ “Do too. I saw how you looked at her. You were all “she’s so dreammmy” and “I want to marry her””. _

_ Janai lit up with anger. She was NOT in love with some random elf from a neighboring kingdom. They were just sparring and talking. It was nice to find someone that thought like her and treated her with respect as an opponent. Xander was great, but to a certain extent, he was expected to like her, and probably marry her as well which was just...nasty. But this girl she fought with...well, she didn't have to fake anything or pretend to like Janai. She gave her pointers and Janai helped her with her form...it was nice to hang out with someone who kind of understood... _

_ But now, Khessa had ruined any chance Janai had at a friendship. Saying your younger sister is in love with someone in front of both your parents does that. _

_ “You say that again,” Janai said, getting brighter and brighter with rage and hurt until the lines on her body made Khessa wince back in anticipation, “And I’ll throw more than a shoe at you! She was my friend and now she hates me!” _

_ “Okay, okay fine! You don’t have to be so hostile! If you don’t want to admit it yet, you don’t have to. Now stop glowing. You’re supposed to protect the queen, not blind her to death!” _

_ “I'm not admitting anything! We were friends not...stop! Don’t talk to me like that!” _

_ Khessa bolted past her, racing towards their personal quarters. _

_ “Mother! Janai is attacking me! All because of her girlfriend!” _

Breathing in deeply, Janai slowly stopped the anger rushing through her body. She thought about sparring her men, scouting human lands and spying on the general at the border. Their fight, the way they circled each other...the way that stupid human motioned for her to "bring it on," even when it was clear she was at a disadvantage. 

Janai breathed each thought in and out of her mind, bringing her back to the present moment until finally, she was back to her regular temperature: Hot...but not blazing. She found herself smiling at the notion that Amaya would have found that thought funny. 

"Wow...sister if I'd have known you'd go insane over a petty human, I would have brought it up sooner."

Grimacing, Janai shook her head. Khessa had missed Janai’s point, explaining away her little melt-down as if bad-mouthing Amaya was the cause when in actuality, it was Khessa’s laughter at her expense. It had always been. Janai was not the small, helpless and foolish little sister anymore. She was done tolerating the small jests and little remarks that had been peppering her life since her sister became queen. 

Janai looked at Khessa’s joking face. She was enjoying Janai’s lack of restraint, and Janai was not about to let her win the argument.

“The human is pure of heart. While I do not like her,  _ sister _ ,” she hissed, “I do trust her. 

At the murmurs of Khessa's guards and advisors, Janai continued.

"However, this king is unconcerned for the general. He instructed me to kill her, which, forgive me sister, doesn’t seem like royalty to me. No good king would want to kill one of their top soldiers.”

Khessa stopped her smirking and quickly sat down, swinging her legs to the side of her throne. 

“I am your best fighter,” Janai continued, “I have years of experience in this field and I am an expert in determining truthfulness and lies. We have a chance to interrogate this man and force Katolis to give up major territories and provide us with inside information in exchange for his release. We do not need to kill him yet. If you do not trust me, your best soldier, your Radiance, then what precedent are you setting for the kingdom.”

Janai spit out the words, each laced with repressed anger and sarcasm. Khessa’s eyes widened when Janai finished, her face morphing into a rageful glare. She opened and closed her mouth, as if she was trying to find the proper words to counteract the harsh ones her sister had spewed, but ultimately could not form a response.

_ I suppose that was a little harsh. _

"Sister," Janai began, hoping to salvage some of their conversation. "I do not have your title. Although I am in the royal line, I am not considered by many to have the strengths and dignity necessary to be queen."

At Khessa's nodding motion, she continued, hoping to ease her sister out of whatever rage Janai had put her in.

"However, I am skilled in so many other ways and I am not afraid to die for my kingdom... or die for you."

At these words, her sister's face immediately relaxed and her "queenly" aura was back to its proper place, dignified and sure.

"So please, believe me when I say that this is our chance to bring justice to our grandmother and vengeance to our people. We mustn't waste this opportunity." 

After a brief moment of reprieve and reset, Khessa spoke, annunciating each syllable as if she was trying to avoid any words that would deeply embarrass and discredit her. Although Khessa was back in her "queenly face," it was clear she was still agitated from the argument that occurred only moments before (as was Janai of course, but Khessa was much better at hiding it). 

“Fine. Send this king in and we will see how pure his intentions truly are.”

“Thank you, your Radiance,” Janai replied, abruptly turning to leave the throne room. Hopefully, this new human would distract Khessa from the old one. Hopefully, Amaya was still knocked out…and Kazi wasn't lying dead in a hall somewhere. 

“And sister,” Khessa said as Janai was halfway across the room.

“Yes?” Janai said, turning. They were back at square one, her and Khessa. Back to saying things they didn't mean and throwing around empty threats and misleading jokes. Back to normal...and treating each other like enemies. 

Back to usual.

Khessa’s face gleamed and her sceptor highlighted the golds and orange hues of the room. She was standing up now, and her posture was that of royalty, which made sense, considering she was literally the queen. Clearing her throat and raising her staff arm, she spoke, firm and unrelenting.

“Never speak to me like that again.” 

Janai nodded and bowed, which was all she could do in that situation. Spinning around, she sped out of the room, hoping to avoid any more of her sister’s words. When Khessa made threats or demands, it was best to heed them as warnings, as her words often held multiple meanings. Usually, they were empty and held no substance, but this time, there was something to lose. This time, the unsaid ultimatum was clear: Respect me or your human dies.

And Janai, shockingly enough, did not want Amaya to die. 


	9. Life and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished updating this chapter! I should have the next one out sometime in the next couple weeks!

“I’m almost positive that Janai didn't say the human could sleep in her bed,” Xander said, eyebrows raised with a crooked smile. 

Kazi had attempted to speak with the soldier through the door, however, Xander somehow felt the need to meet face to face, which was exactly what they didn't need at the moment. Janai had long since left and now, Amaya was in a half-strength battle stance by the bed, courtesy of Xander’s loud door-kicking skills. The sheer force it took for him to thrust open the door must have vibrated the room, or else Amaya would still be sleeping peacefully. And Amaya needed to be sleeping.

“Why are you here?” Kazi asked firmly, signing their words towards Amaya’s swaying body. They attempted to give the human a reassuring smile along with soothing body language to communicate that Xander was not a threat. An annoyance, yes, but not dangerous.

Well, not THAT dangerous. Even in her state, Kazi knew that Amaya could easily out-maneuver the other soldier.

“Janai asked me to check on you,” Xander started, carefully closing the previously mishandled and abused door.

“She wanted to make sure the human didn’t escape, and that you weren’t, well, dead? I guess?”

"Oh, how kind of her," Kazi said, words dripping with sarcasm and frustration. 

Xander’s hand was at the back of his neck, massaging it as if the door put up some sort of fight and he was feeling the aftermath. Kazi let out a long sigh, with quite dramatic for them, but then again, being an interpreter for Janai was also somewhat dramatic.

Janai was the one who left them alone with Amaya, so she obviously knew the general wouldn’t kill them; Amaya would never attack an innocent person (or elf, they had learned) unless she had reason to believe they were going to harm her.

Right now, however, if Kazi was a human... it did sort of look as if Xander was a threat.

Kazi grimaced as they looked at Amaya, who was now narrowing her eyes at the foolish soldier at the front of the room. She was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, and her hands, though calm at the moment, were clenched in a manner suited for fighting. 

While Kazi wanted to tell her that it was okay, that Xander was just a goof who wasn’t as susceptible to perversions like the rest of the Sunfire elves, they were unsure if his kindness extended towards humans, or if his peacefulness existed only in mind and not in practice. He seemed like a nice elf. Morea had a crush/relationship thing with him, so he couldn't be too bad.

But he was also a soldier, like Janai, so there was always a possibility for ulterior motives and distrust. 

“Well, um. I’m not dead yet." Kazi said slowly, before quickly signing their words to Amaya. "So, there’s that…”

“Okay...” Xander replied, his eyes travelling to Amaya’s unyieldingly stern face. 

“Is this the human general. The one who saved Janai's life?” he asked, coming closer to where Amaya was standing. He was met with a slit glare and clenched teeth. Kazi could have sworn they heard her growl as Xander backed away.

“Oh...uh, I don’t think she likes me.”

Amaya turned to Kazi, confusion on her face and after they quickly interpreted, the exasperation soon began.

Rolling her eyes, Amaya began a tirade of signs and classifiers, some of which Kazi could not understand due to Amaya’s sudden pacing movement. 

“What?! He thinks...don’t like him! What is this...infancy? I’m...Fucking prisoner! Elf! Oh my...Shit! Why the...I here? Janai you son of- Sarai I swear you would...Bitch!” Amaya spouted off, twisting her hands into some kind of KSL dialect or shorthand that Kazi had never seen before. Although Amaya was still distrusting and annoyed, Kazi felt more relaxed as they watched her pace beside the bed.

Amaya's cursing, now THAT, they could deal with.

Peeking at Xander, Kazi saw his confusion morph into concerned fear, if that was even a thing.

“Are you good?” he called out toward Amaya, cupping his lips to carry the sound. 

“HUMAN? ARE YOU OKA-”

“She can’t hear you Xander. She’s Deaf...hence the sign language. Did Janai tell you nothing?”

Xander laughed nervously and bit his lip before going into a long ranted explanation for why Janai was the worst friend ever and how he was called from his post...bla, bla, bla. 

Looking back, Kazi could see Amaya still on her rampage, signing curse words and insults over and over again. She was definitely running on fumes, and her tiredness and hunger must have broken her down, as this behavior wasn't normal, even for her. And Kazi had only known her for a few days!

This was getting ridiculous. They were all adults. They could communicate instead of...whatever this was. 

Waving their hands, they quickly got Amaya’s attention. After a few, “XANDER!’s,” they managed to put themself in the center of attention. As everyone stopped ranting and looked toward Kazi, they put up a finger and started to speak...which turned into a cough which then became a laugh. It started as a small chuckle and then continued until it evolved into a heaping sigh. Here Kazi was, a mere historical librarian and interpreter, attempting to mitigate an argument between two top level soldiers who, instead of fighting and killing one another, were complaining about each other and cursing out Janai. This was peak comedy. Even Kazi could see it, and they oftentimes didn't understand jokes. 

“What’s going on?” Xander asked the same time Amaya gave them an exasperated face and “what?” hands. 

“It’s just,” Kazi started to explain, wiping stray laughter tears from the corner of their left eye. 

“We’re all enemies, technically...and yet...we’re standing in this room, and it’s just. It’s so stupid!”

After a couple seconds of questioning looks, Kazi continued, forcing themself to focus on the issue at hand and not the last couple minutes of Amaya’s furious hands and Xander's whining.

“You two are soldiers who fight for the innocent and protect your people, yet you’re here in this room, arguing to yourselves about...well, whatever it is you’re mad about. And not trying to kill each other!”

Once Kazi finished interpreting their words, Amaya’s face morphed from comedic confusion to wariness once again. 

“Wait...you’re not here to kill me?”

Xander raised his hands above his head, similar to the way Amaya had when she was captured.

“No, no. I’m just here to check on you. Make sure you’re good. Well, make sure Kazi’s good…”

At Kazi’s inquisitive stare, he continued.

“She didn’t really mention the human too much, which is NOT OKAY TO DO JANAI..." he said, looking over his shoulder as if Janai was around the corner and in ear shot.

After a small coughing break to clear his throat, he continued, "No offense...um...human.”

At Amaya’s eye roll he added, “But she also didn’t mention any killing,” to the end of his sentence.

"I think, if anything, she wanted me to protect you guys. Twin-Tails honor."

Amaya shook her head softly and smirked at him. Kazi watched as she crossed the room, coming closer to them in order to properly sign instead of standing 10 feet or so away. While she was still alert and a bit wary of Xander, she had obviously loosened up. Perhaps that string of curses and words had calmed her down a bit.

Looking at Kazi, she nodded her head towards the door and reached out her hands, holding them together as if to say “chain me please.”

“What are you doing? Do you want me to...put the cuffs back on again? I'm confused...”

Amaya nodded and peered over at where Xander was now leaning on the wall, his confusion evident.

Rolling her eyes, Amaya sighed.

“I’m a prisoner. It’s time for me to go back. I don’t want to die simply because Janai doesn’t care much for the rules.”

“Amaya…” Kazi started, but was soon interrupted by the human’s waving hands.

“Look, Even though I'm a general, I’m no expert on POW’s. I prefer fighting to interrogating, but the issue is, if your queen saw me unchained in her sister’s room, I think she would get the wrong idea and that would lead to not only my death, but Janai's, as I am almost positive the queen would kill her for this.” 

She once again nodded to the door.

“And if he isn’t here to kill me, then I still have a chance to keep my life. And I would very much prefer to be alive at the moment.”

"Also," Amaya signed, as if it was an afterthought.

"I'm really, really tired and I can't do this right now."

Kazi smiled at Amaya's admittance, and then frowned when they comprehended Amaya's earlier words. She said sister, meaning she knew Janai’s relation to the queen. While Kazi wasn't sure what Janai was hoping to accomplish by omitting any proof of her relation to Khessa, they also knew that Amaya was not supposed to find out. And now that it was out, Janai was going to kill them. 

By the look on Xander’s face, he knew it too.

As Kazi attempted to wrack their brain to find the situation in which they unknowingly gave up Janai’s secret, Amaya waved in front of their face. 

“What’s wrong?”

Kazi smiled, flustered. They could play dumb, make it seem like they didn't hear what Amaya said. But that would be both dishonest and just rude in general. And Kazi hated being rude.

“How’d you know she was the queen’s sister?” they asked, hoping Amaya’s answer didn’t include them in her reasoning. No doubt Janai would be furious with them if, or when, she heard about Amaya’s new found family drama knowledge.

But if Amaya was excited to have something to hold over Janai's head, she didn't mention it. There was no smirking, no laughing...In actuality, she seemed unphased by the knowledge, as if Janai's connection to royalty was meaningless.

“They act like each other. And no one would infuriate a queen on purpose, unless they were related and knew they could get away with it.”

“Wait, how did-?”

“The queen was very expressive. Plus, I’m pretty sure she said the word sister at some point before my attempted execution.”

“AHEM,” Xander coughed from the corner of the room, insinuating his wish to be involved with the conversation. Kazi realized they hadn’t been interpreting. Which had actually been happening a lot since they took this position: the downside of offering an interpreter a job who hadn’t actually interpreted for a human before.

Kazi quickly rewound and explained, and Xander agreed, offering his own thoughts on the matter.

“While the queen most definitely hates you…” he started, once again giving the “no offense” face which Amaya waved away, he continued on, talking about Janai’s approach on the whole “capturing” scene.

"Janai is...interesting. She likes you, well, appreciates your fighting style. She mentioned it a lot when we were spyi-" he paused.

"Well. I mean, It’s a respect thing, I think. She definitely doesn't hate you.”

They chatted for a while more through Kazi. Nothing too serious or strategy-wise, as both sides were still on opposing forces, but Kazi found themself satisfied at the rapport the two had developed. Perhaps in the future, it could always be this way; perhaps they could all be allies or friends, even, and the never-ending war would finally cease. 

Maybe Kazi could see the inside of a Katolian palace or library before they died. Legally, of course.

“Anyway, it’s about time to get to my post again,” Xander finally said, walking towards the exit. "Janai only let me go for a limited amount of time."

Amaya nodded in understanding as Xander tapped the door a few times with his knuckle before heading out of the room, waving at Kazi as he did so. 

“I’m leaving,” he cried, walking down the hall to the stairs.

“I know you’re like, still a prisoner and all, but at least I know you won’t kill Kazi. However, if you survive this whole ideal and I do eventually meet you in battle...no promises!”

Scoffing, Amaya again reached out her hands and Kazi slowly bound them, hoping to keep them as loose as possible to allow for both comfort and signing. As they locked the last chain and motioned for Amaya to follow them down the stairs and back to the dungeon, Amaya chucked softly and shook her head.

“I could literally take him right now and win,” she signed, raising an eye at Kazi, as if to say “What do you think?” 

“Well…” Kazi said honestly, answering her unasked question, “You’re definitely not wrong.”

* * *

When Janai arrived at her quarters, she was met with the absence of both Amaya and Kazi. However, there was also an absence of other things, like blood, bodies, and overall carnage, so it was safe to assume that the two of them were either dead elsewhere, or back in the prison. 

Xander was also nowhere to be found, which made sense considering he was a royal guard and was required to show up to his shifts on time. She had only given him about 30 minutes or so to check on her...whatever the group of her, Kazi and Amaya was called. Hopefully, everyone was where they were supposed to be, as she didn’t have time to search. 

The King turned out to be filled with Dark Magic, as she predicted from the start. The light showed his true nature, and even though he said he had information about the past queen, Khessa’s declaration was law: he would be purged by the light, regardless of his usefulness. Not that he would be that useful anyway, as he never actually gave her any information about her grandmother or how and why she was murdered. And now that he was deemed evil and sentenced to death, that left only one human left to get any news or strategies out of...and knowing Khessa, Janai would have to provide results. 

“Humans are nothing but trouble...and you are just like the rest,” her sister had spat at the human king, not only showing her inability to alleviate the ever growing tension and hatred in the room, but that she was incapable of making peace with a human. Even if the king was pure of heart, she would have still tossed him in the dungeon and captured his army, regardless of their intent. Amaya was proof of that.

With him dead and gone, there was no other option in Khessa’s eyes. Janai was going to have to treat Amaya like a prisoner. A real prisoner. 

She was going to have to be the Golden Knight again.

“Back to square one…” she muttered, thrusting open the prison doors once again and starting down the never ending cobblestone stairs. She immediately heard laughter once her head was in the cylindrical chamber, and she slowed her pace, hoping to allow the human and Kazi at least a couple more seconds of reprieve before she ruined everyone’s day.

_Stars Janai. You were never this weak before. What’s wrong with you?_

“What! I can’t believe you did that?!” Kazi’s voice echoed off the walls.

“In the library!?”

“You’re insane…”

As Janai stepped closer and closer, Kazi’s voice grew quieter, as the acoustics of the inner walls were not as good as the rock hallway, which was a problem all in itself, but she could deal with faulty architecture later. Right now, she wished she could see Amaya’s face, know what she was thinking, be a part of this personal story-telling and forget about the war and the whole reason Amaya was there. 

"And she never told on you?" Kazi's voice whispered, "Wow. I need a friend like that."

Janai eventually reached the bottom, kicked the dirt a bit and finally gripped her sword. She would inevitably have to tell the human about the king and his planned purification, which was just a watered down way of saying execution. Hopefully, Amaya wouldn’t be too devastated. She was just a general in the army...it wasn’t like she was losing anything if the king of Katolis died. Perhaps she’d feel a little sadness at her country’s figurehead’s death, but he was a barely known monarch to her. Nothing like how Khessa was to Janai. 

“You know…” Kazi’s voice said right before Janai breached the fire wall, “I think this interrogation is going very well. You’re not dead…”

 _Not yet…_ Janai thought before crossing over. 

_And I really hope we can keep it that way._


	10. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while. Next chapter will hopefully be out in 2 weeks. Thanks for the comments, they really keep me inspired and motivated to write.

Amaya was, surprisingly, not having the worst time in the Xadian prison, mainly due to Kazi’s existence. She was out of cuffs now, and felt more comfortable sitting on the floor of the fiery cage than before, when she was in chains and forced to comply with elves that didn’t understand her. While she could chalk up her new found confidence to Janai and Kazi’s strange kindness, it was really the absence of a language barrier that eased her worries. 

She wasn’t in the dark anymore, both metaphorically and physically. She could do torture and physical beatings, but no communication whatsoever?

She shuddered. That wasn’t something she wanted to go through again.

At least now she had someone that could see her and understand, and that was enough to ease her back into a state of normalcy. Besides, at this point, she seriously doubted a true interrogation would happen, at least with Janai. If anything, they’d have to bring someone else in here to deal with her, and she knew no one else was at the "Golden Knight's" experience level. 

She wondered if all military higher-ups had snooty names as well.

“I would have loved to see a human castle in person," Kazi started, immediately after Amaya found a comfortable sitting position.

"I mean, books only show so much, and even then, it's all boring and dull."

Amaya could _almost_ hear the high pitch squeak that was coming out of their mouth as they began shooting out questions, all about her old home.

"Where do you live? Have you seen the castle? I mean, of course you have. That was a ridiculous question. Have you been in the castle, is what I meant to say…”Kazi asked excitedly. Kazi's demeanor reminded her a lot of Sarai's as a child; cautious, but enthusiastic.

So, despite her better judgement, she gave in.

“My friend and I once infiltrated it when we were children,” Amaya shifted her body to accommodate signing space.

“The castle, that is. We snuck in through a storm drain.”

Biting her lip, Amaya turned her head to peer at the dancing flames which once looked menacing. Focusing on the patterns, she forced a smile.

“They were so mad…”

_“Amaya! Maya come back!” Sarai signed through the drain grate at the base of the castle as Amaya faced her in order to screw it back on._

_“You’ll get us in trouble!”_

_“Who cares? Just go home," Amaya signed back, emphasizing her disdain. She had been kicked out of the house, again, for what felt like the 15th time even though it was more like the 3rd. Though that knowledge didn’t make her feel any better._

_The worst part was, she wasn't given a reason why this time. She had to have Sarai interpret it for her and by then, her dad was already throwing her out the side door, yelling something she was "graciously" spared of understanding._

_She didn't get the full conversation until hours later, when her sister snuck her a few biscuits, claiming that "Breakfast was the most important meal of the day," or some shit. Sarai was always the kind, thoughtful older sister. The person who would give up everything just to make another person happy..._

_And Amaya was always the screw-up. The kind of person people avoided._

_Before she could turn her head to continue through the tunnel, Sarai grabbed her wrist._

_“I’m sure they didn’t mean it. I know it’s hard, but it’ll get better! You’ll see. They’ll learn...eventually.”_

_At Amaya’s skeptical look, Sarai threw her hands up in the air, the frost outside reddening her face more than her desperation already had._

_“Okay fine...they’ll probably never learn sign. But you still didn’t have to get angry like that. If you could just talk with them, they might-”_

_“You’re joking,” Amaya butted in, eventually ramming the grate into the wall to make it stick, to which it immediately fell. She groaned, slumping back against the tunnel. Her hair was in her face, threatening to muddle her eyesight, and her hands were freezing, perks of being thrown out in Katolis during September._

_“They don’t know my language. I can’t talk.”_

_Pushing a bit of her hair back against her head, Amaya looked toward the stupid grate on ground._

_“They don’t care about me. Just drop it.”_

_“Don’t say that. Of course they care about you.” Sarai’s hands said, flowing smoothly across her body. They were both in the tunnel now, although Amaya was unable to turn without taking her eyes off her sister and, as such, dropping the conversation._

_“They just need time.”_

_“They’ve had 15 years…” Amaya signed back, harsher than she meant to. At Sarai’s forlorn look, Amaya rolled her eyes and picked up her hands, which felt heavier after trying to force the grate closed._

_She wanted to sign something along the lines of, “If they really loved me, they’d at least try,” and, “They think I’m broken, so why should I care anymore,” but she was tired._

_Tired of trying to prove she was worthy of their love._

_Tired of feeling worthless._

_Tired of being ignored._

_And tired of freezing her ass off in the snow._

_"Maya. Are you okay?" Sarai's hands asked, her gloves dripping with wet snow._

_Amaya forced a smile and nodded. She was always okay. She couldn't afford to be anything but._

_“Come on. We’re in the castle now. Let’s at least explore before you have to go back,” Amaya said, grabbing Sarai’s hand and dragging it behind her as she started her long crawl to the center of the castle._

_"Hopefully something in this place is worth stealing."_

At Kazi’s signs of, “What?” and “How did you pull that off,” Amaya continued with her story, being intentionally vague with its location, her “friend’s name, and what they found. No one needed to know the details, especially not an elf, no matter how nice Kazi was.

“I got caught, and kicked one of the guards in the face. Luckily, when I took over the guard, everyone had long forgotten that incident, or didn’t realize that the scruffy child was me”.

At Kazi’s skepticism, Amaya smirked, “I had long hair back then. And all the dirt on my face was a fairly good disguise.” 

Kazi laughed in response and Amaya watched them with a sad smile.

What she didn’t tell Kazi was how she was captured, as well as the aftermath of breaking into the royal chambers. How she attacked the leader of the guard, played the Deaf card, and subsequently fucked up Sarai’s first meeting with the prince. 

But then again, it didn’t really matter anymore. Amaya was all grown up now. Her parents were long dead and gone, as was her sister, and Harrow for that matter, though his death was still fresh in her mind.

At this point, Amaya was the only surviving person who remembered that day.

And it was strangely comforting to have that knowledge to herself. 

“You’re insane,” Kazi murmured, signing along. Ignoring the swelling pain in her chest, Amaya agreed, choosing to focus on the interpreter instead. 

Kazi continued to rant about the Sunfire palace, the library, and other miscellaneous things in that sphere of thinking.

Amaya noticed that, when Kazi wasn’t interpreting, they often sim-conned their signs; speaking and signing at the same time. While she wasn’t the biggest fan of the english signing order, she was fairly skilled at matching lips to signs, so it wasn’t that much of an issue. At least this way, she could communicate. It was how most people signed to her anyway, including her nephews.

Plus, it was obvious that Kazi hadn’t been interpreting long, and Amaya would rather muddle her way through than to ask anything of them. 

She wasn’t in a position to make demands anyway.

Kazi said something about the “interrogation going well,” but Amaya’s head was still in the castle’s storm drain, replaying her brashness and Sarai’s warnings...

Which, of course, brought her mind directly to the boys.

Hopefully they were still okay and managing without her. She could only hope that the two had escaped whoever was holding them captive, and that Ezran was on the throne, protected by Gren and other loyal officials. 

Though that would be wishful thinking if any. At least she knew Gren was still alive and breathing, unless he did something stupid. Then again, the man was always stupid. 

“Bad news my human friend,” Janai’s form said, coming out of the fire-wall in front of her. Amaya’s smile quickly turned into a frown as Kazi began interpreting again. 

Was the queen coming to her senses and ordering her death? Again?

Before Amaya could jump to any more conclusions, Janai continued her blunt report.

“You’re king. He came here looking for safe passage through Xadia.”

Immediately, Amaya’s hands were signing, “What! That’s impossible!”

Ezran would never come through Xadia seeking passage through the Sunfire Kingdom. The city was large and bright, making his human body obvious. Even if he was trekking through this part of Xadia, he would no doubt be sneaking around on some type of creature and not announcing himself at the front gate.

Knowing him, he’d be riding a dragon or one of the Sunfire Elve’s ridiculous fire cats.

“The light revealed his true nature,” Janai said as Amaya switched her attention back and forth between her and Kazi.

“Filled with darkness, rotten insides...such an arrogant man.”

_Wait, what?_

Ezran was kind hearted and sweet, always talking about peace and his affinity for jelly tarts. He could never be filled with darkness. If Amaya was pure of heart, then Ezran was literally an angel. Something was wrong...something…

Amaya’s eyes widened.

_Shit._

Janai had said, “man” and not “boy,” and that meant only one thing. Viren must have usurped the crown and claimed ownership of the country. He was here in Xadia...just like before when he-

No. NO. NO!

“That…’man’ is not our king,” Amaya signed swiftly, looking towards Janai with what she hoped was fervor and seriousness.

“He is, possibly, the most dangerous human in the world!”

Before Amaya could continue. Before she could demand that Janai do something, she was interrupted. Janai said something about purification and how Viren would be subject to the light...but by now, Amaya was done with niceties. 

As Janai turned to leave, Amaya lunged forward and took hold of her arm, tugging it towards her. She was met with resistance as Janai threw her off and gave her a menacing, albeit inquisitive look.

“You don’t understand! If he is here, we are all in danger!”

Janai continued to look at her with disbelief, but Amaya trudged forward.

“We have to stop him! He is not the king! He isn’t our king!” Amaya was getting more frantic now. If Viren had taken over the throne, did that mean Ezran never actually returned? Was he hurt and missing still? Did Viren kill him? And what about Callum?

In her midst of panicking, Amaya suddenly realized.

If Viren was king, that meant he had taken control of her forces. In order to pass through Xadia, he had to have gathered all of the kingdoms and gained permission. And why would he be passing through Xadia? It made no sense.

She stopped moving.

_Unless he’s preparing an attack.._

Amaya felt a heat on her face and began to heave. She needed to calm down, as she would be no use to anyone if she couldn’t communicate her fears. 

But even if she could...would Janai even listen?

“Why is this so important to you? He won’t escape, Amaya,” Janai said, using Amaya’s name instead of calling her “human” again. It would have been a nice sentiment if not for the fact that Amaya was on the verge of jumping through the flames to kill him herself.

Janai came closer, her words becoming more and more concerning in structure.

“Amay-”

“He is not the king,” Amaya signed again, attempting to find the words to explain to Janai just how vital the situation was. 

“How do you even know that? All I said was he was evil, and surely you are not close enough with your king to truly know his intentions.” Janai was looking at her like she was crazy now, and Amaya assumed she must look the part. Here she was, sweating armorless in a Xadian prison cell with tears gathering in her eyes.

She must’ve truly looked pathetic. Glancing at Kazi’s worried face, Amaya took a few deep breaths and signed back.

“The Katolian King is a young boy,” she started, attempting to banish the tears threatening to exit the corner of her eyes.

_Get it together Amaya or so help me…_

“He’s a child, filled with love and hope. He hates the war. He wants peace, as do many of us…” Gulping, she continued, “And if this ‘king’ you speak of is here, in Xadia, and if the light has shown him to be evil, then that means my...King, is still missing.”

“This...King of yours. You are close with him, aren’t you?”

Amaya nodded firmly, wiping the sweat from her face with the back of her sleeve and casually catching her left eye before she really embarrassed herself. Close was an understatement. Ezran and Callum were all she had left of her family, and she’d be dead before she’d let Viren destroy more than he already had.

At this point, Janai looked to be in a debate with herself. Her hand was off the hilt of her sword and was now flicking at her forehead, reflecting a light up and down on her crown as a result. Amaya waited, looking at Kazi who she saw, was looking at her as well. Kazi’s face offered some comfort, as it was clear that the young elf was empathetic to Amaya’s situation. Janai, however, was still pacing the metal floor.

“Is this man capable of murdering the entire Sunfire cabinet along with the queen?” Janai asked, looking at Amaya straight in the eyes.

Amaya wanted to explain everything. The damage that Viren had done to her family. How he had ultimately killed her sister, possibly murdered Harrow, and might have done something to her nephews...but she had no time to delve into backstory. Janai required deliberate words and reassurance. 

“Yes,” Amaya said back, straightening her back and forcing her weary body to stay strong just a little longer.

“He is not only capable, but he lacks empathy and humanity. He has something planned. He would not come through your kingdom if he didn’t have a way to defeat you.”

“And you’re sure. You’re sure he has a plan.”

Amaya nodded firmly, clenching her fists beside her body. She watched as Janai took a step into the fire.

The Knight nodded and motioned for Kazi and Amaya to follow her.

“Then we must stop him.”

* * *

Janai wasn’t sure what convinced her to let the human out of the fire. Was it Janai’s guilt? Her fear for Khessa’s safety? Or was it her affinity for the human currently wiping her eyes and attempting to appear untouched by the news of this fake king’s arrival?

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter anymore, as Janai’s lips had already agreed to help Amaya, and she couldn’t dismiss the human now. 

Janai exited the ring of fire and pushed the lever that controlled the flames’ power down to inactive, leaving the human and interpreter in the middle of an unlit cage.

At the human’s cocked head and confused face, Janai rolled her eyes.

“Well? Come on. I said we, and you know I didn’t mean Kazi.”

She was met with a smirk.

If Amaya was cautious about leaving her prison cell now, she didn’t show it. In mere seconds, the general was at Janai’s side, her hair brushing up against Janai’s shoulder. The feeling was strange, and Janai had to jump away, fearing she’d lose her composure. A hand tugging against her tunic forced her back around and almost directly into Amaya’s body.

Amaya was at least a foot shorter than her, which Janai had never noticed until now. Of course, she had never been this close to the human without trying to kill her, and even then, Amaya had always worn armor. Here she looked different. Not small, but not as threatening either. She was something in between.

Forcing herself to look into Amaya’s eyes, Janai swallowed, all thoughts of saying something snarky and rude gone from her mind. Amaya was smiling. Genuinely smiling, with a grin that made her eyes crinkle and her face glow. Her hair still looked like a mess, and small smudges of dirt lined her face and clothes, but she was smiling. 

Before Janai could avert her eyes and say something like “Hey, we need to go. Time is of the essence,” Amaya brought her hand to her chin, flattening it out and flipping it over. Jania would have been confused by the gesture, but Amaya’s mouthing made everything clear.

“Thank You”

That was all it took for Janai to immediately break out in a grin. 

Luckily, her lack of self-control was quickly broken as Kazi finally reached them, and she managed to turn her smile into a panicked cough. Her thoughts were back in order, but her face was left burning. 

“Right. Well, we need to go to the Sunforge. That’s where this...Viren is?”

At Amaya’s nod, Janai continued, ignoring the growing heat on her cheeks. 

“Well. If you’re to be of any help whatsoever, you’re going to need your armor back.”

Janai walked towards the side of the room, opening the nearest chest sitting against the wall. Digging through the junk, she managed to pull out Amaya’s chest armor and threw it towards the human. 

“Here,” she yelled, motioning for Kazi to search for the rest.

“Most of it’s here. Your shield’s somewhere in the guard room, so I’ll go get it. We don’t need to cause any more panic than there already is.”

At Amaya’s skeptical look, Janai huffed, turning towards the guard’s office.

“You better be right about this, or the queen’s going to kill us both,” she muttered under her breath.

Amaya simply waved her hand, shrugging her off and Janai ran, quickly grabbing the human’s shield from the collection of weapons lining the inner wall of the office. Luckily, the guards on duty didn’t care to annoy her with stupid questions and were seemingly fine with her taking a random human weapon off the wall.

_Remind me to promote them after this is all over_

When she returned, Amaya was already half uniformed-up, Kazi helping her with the last bit of protection. Janai felt her spirits lift as Amaya began to look more familiar. While she appreciated Amaya’s “workout” look of leggings and an undershirt, she was much more comfortable with this version of the soldier. 

This Amaya didn’t make her as nervous.

This Amaya made her want to fight. And that was what they both needed right now. 

She quickly handed over the shield, and Amaya’s eyes looked over it, inspecting it for any damages. While she accepted the weapon with little complaint, she furrowed her eyes at one small scratch and huffed, shooting Janai a side-eyed look. 

“You scratched it,” Amaya signed, attempting to rub away the damage with her forearm. Her hair fell below her eyes as she focused on the small indentation, biting her inner lip as she ultimately accepted the shield’s new imperfection. 

When she shot Janai another annoyed look, Janai rolled her eyes and motioned towards the weapon.

“How do you notice one scratch? It’s a shield. It’s supposed to have scratches” 

Amaya narrowed her eyes once again, quickly eyeing the shield before sheathing it on her back and tying up her boot strings. She shook her head when Kazi tried to tie them for her, motioning instead towards Janai.

“What’s our plan? How are we going to collect Viren before he kills the queen?”

“The queen and cabinet are already at the Sun-Forge,” Janai started, beginning to pace in a line.

“In order to stop whatever Viren has planned, we need to ensure they don’t begin the purification process. I can lead us to the Forge easily, however, there may be issues with your appearance. Hopefully, everyone will be too busy watching the ceremony to notice.”

“And what if they do notice?” Amaya asked, walking over to where Janai’s pacing had landed her. 

She nudged Kazi with her elbow, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

“I’m obviously human. I doubt they’d believe me if I said I was anything but.”

Kazi snorted, to which Janai rolled her eyes.

“Amaya. You’re skilled at maneuvering and even more so at escaping. I’m sure you’ll find a way to get around them.”

At Amaya’s determined look, she immediately added “-Without hurting them,” to reiterate her point, which Amaya _eventually_ assured her would be followed. 

No one was going to die today, not even the dark mage. They were going to stop the purification and figure out what this fake-king's plan was. He couldn’t be working alone. But their first priority was to save the queen.

To save Khessa

“Let’s go,” Janai said, placing her hands on Amaya and Kazi’s shoulder, similar to the way she treated her generals before battle. Ignoring the woman beside her, Janai motioned to her sword.

“We’re almost out of time.”


	11. Sorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but life gets busy. I'll update again, hopefully with a longer chapter! I'm still doing a little bit of chapter maintenance, but this was pretty much finished so I wanted to post sooner rather than later. Let me know if there's any issue.

Khessa wasn’t sure when she became an enemy in Janai’s eyes, but she’d wager the seeds of doubt had begun sprouting when they were mere children. She grew up with expectation and a high standard of being, all while Janai was allowed to do as she pleased. 

She’d be lying if she said being queen bothered her. It most certainly didn’t. If anything, the position gave her power and control, something she had ached for most of her life, beginning in her early years and continuing to the present. She had studied and practiced day after day to learn proper decorum in all areas. She was trained by the best, learned from the best, and soon, became the best. 

It was her destiny to be queen, just as it was Janai’s to be a civilian. Khessa could handle the stress and pressure of being royalty, especially when it came to the protection of her people.

Her only flaw, it turned out, was believing Janai’s position in the guard would be enough for her…

Believing that their stern but loving relationship would stand the test of time, and that in the future, when both were old and grey, they’d laugh about the past and finally come to understand each other a little more than they were allowed to in their prime. 

But humans ruined everything.

Now, she was looking down at a man full of darkness. Though he called himself a king, the two of them were not equal. No human king or queen could ever come close to her power and wisdom. And even when humans like him tried to reach her height of excellence and respect, they resorted to using dark magic to accomplish what the elves themselves were born with.

Pathetic.

There was a reason humans were driven out of Xadia, and Khessa would never allow them to infiltrate again without consequences. Hopefully, this “King’s” army was out there hiding and cowering in fear, knowing they’d be next if they stayed. She knew what they did to the Dragon King...to his egg, the future of Xadia. 

Their selfishness always led to ruin, and she was not about to let the chaos spread to her people.

“Let us begin the ceremony,” she announced to her officials, at least 10 minutes early or so. While she could wait around for other palace guards and staff to gather and watch, she didn’t want to look at this man any longer than necessary.

Her advisers nodded, having no qualms with rushing the event. Khessa knew she chose well when it came to picking her royal staff and soldiers. While they were more touchy than most, she worked well with them, as well as with the leaders of opposing elf kingdoms.

“There is nothing to be afraid of,” she said, as her mage lit the Sun Staff. 

“The light from the sun is one of purification. It will only remove the parts of you that have been touched by dark magic.”

She smirked, turning around and motioning for the sun to begin its descent toward the human king, currently on his knees, whimpering. He was most definitely going to die.

She glanced around, searching for her sister, who was, no doubt, still “interrogating the prisoner” or whatever she wanted to call it. 

It was embarrassing, having someone of her blood vouch for a mere human, and a defective one at that. The Janai she knew years ago would have killed the general without a second thought, not grovel at Khessa’s feet and plead for her life. She was going to have to have a long talk with her sister about her affinity for humans, which would hopefully end in the “Pure of Heart” dying.

She couldn’t kill her, per say, as the light had decided her worthy to be spared, but she couldn’t let her go unscathed either. What would the humans think if a disabled general managed to escape a fortress like the Sunfire Palace? She’d be a laughingstock. 

No one would take her seriously. Her policy as “human-hater” served her well in the Kingdom, and if anything came out of this ordeal that said otherwise, her power would be ruined; flippantly marked off as “weak” and “easily swayed.” 

And those kinds of rumors could destroy her people, especially if other kingdoms got wind of her mercy.

“Ugh. Humans disgust me,” she murmured, looking at the man in the eyes before flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. She continued to walk to the edge of the tower, eventually peering down to see the civilians gathered in the square.

Her people, her trusting people, were almost invaded by this arrogant man and his troops. 

They could have been killed, all under her eye. Janai too.

No matter what elves gave humans, they continued to take and take until they bastardized magic and the primal stones. She saw it under Auditi’s rule, her mother’s rule, and now her own. Humans could not be trusted.

“Your kind could not be satisfied with what you were given,” she paused, taking a deep breath before glancing back at the human currently engulfed in white light. He was flinching, attempting to save himself from the justice currently heading his way.

She clenched her teeth.

“So you take what is _NOT YOURS_ . You take it within you, and you turn it to _FILTH.”_

Filth, like the endless camps and eye-sores along the border of Xadia, filled with humans who had nothing better to do than fight. 

Filth, like the human mages who took Xadian magic and shoved it in their putrid souls to attack and murder elves…

Filth like-

"Your Radiance!" A panicked voice screamed out, raising her alarms.

Khessa shot back around, hand on her weapon and eyes focused in on the human. While she was expecting to see a tortured being, changing with each pulse of the purified sun, she was instead greeted with horror.

In mere moments, seconds...everything went to hell.

She heard gasps from her nobles, and a gurgle as the dark mage began releasing a large, purple caterpillar from his throat. She looked toward her head mage in confusion, meeting their eyes as fear filled her heart.

What was this? Dark magic? But how did it break through the protective barriers?

_Move, Khessa. You have to MOVE!_

But she didn’t. She just stood there, watching it unfold.

The insect was large, a purple and black monstrosity, and she wondered how such a creature could come from inside a human body. Before she could come to any kind of conclusion, the insect shot from the king’s mouth onto the Sun Staff and promptly scurried its length until it reached her mage’s ear, biting them and causing them to stumble. Their eyes grew large, pupils constricting, while their body shook.

She reached out for them as a reflex, but it was too late. Far to late.

They were caught off guard. There were protective measures in place to ensure that this would never happen...

_The Sun..._

Immediately, purple smoke was released and the Sun began to change color. Her attention was shifted to a different kind of death... the brightness of yellow and orange was overtaken by darkness until the entire tower was black and devoid of warmth.

No...no this wasn’t happening.

As the human fizzled out the Sun’s bonds, she clenched her jaw and held back a scream. How dare they try to destroy her power. How dare they destroy the Sun, the staff, her people! 

How could they?

This was why all humans needed to die! This is what she thought Janai would understand! They were perversions, snakes that took power that didn’t belong to them, all for the purpose of being “better” than elves. Of being more powerful…

Of...of…..

Her mage was dissipating before her, emitting white rays and a strange mirage until a new elf took over the body. Fighting the urge to break down at their destruction, she clenched her fists and stood strong. Her eyes narrowed as she cautiously examined her foe.

A Startouch elf.

For the smallest moment, her fear and anger was replaced with awe.

So rare, she had never seen one, only heard of stories. The kind her grandmother used to tell. 

And then the fear returned, merging with confusion.

But why was an elf helping a human? Why was he aiding the king using dark magic? What did he have to gain?

“Your arrogance is so predictable,” the glowing elf said haughtily, as if he had been planning on Khessa’s actions in advance and was more than pleased at the Sun’s destruction.

She needed a response, a retort that would lash back at him, but her tongue was numb. She was confused, so confused. She was still frozen when her soldiers began to attack, swords drawn and determination clear on their faces.

But it took the elf tossing them aside and slamming the butt of the staff onto the ruins to wake her back up. He was creating powerful waves of magic with every motion, every touch...

She watched, horrified, as he began to walk in her direction.

“You allowed my vessel to walk into your court and brought him to the source of all your power,” he smirked at her...as if she was somehow below him and needed to be reminded.

Khessa’s mind was blank, clear of options and strategies. She knew she needed to run, to escape, but she couldn’t find an out. 

This elf was different than any she had known. Startouch or not, no Xadian she knew would be able to destroy the sun and manipulate the staff to wield dark magic. No one would ever want to, no matter what kind of elf they were or what kingdom they belonged.

The sun meant hope and peace. It was warmth. It was protection.

Why would someone pervert it into something dark and twisted?

“Oh the irony is wonderful,” he continued, petting the insect on his shoulder and gazing into her soul. He wasn’t glaring...or attempting to goad her, she decided. He knew what power he held and he knew she was incompetent against him. He was toying with her.

She needed to leave. NOW.

She started to move until he spoke again.

“You’re just like your grandmother.”

Khessa froze. Auditi. Her death…

What was this? What was happening? This was supposed to be a purification. That's what the queen was expected to do with humans. That's what her grandmother had taught her, along with her mother and father.

How did he know Auditi. How did he-

"Would you like to know the truth of her fate before you face yours."

She gulped, her eyes trapped in his glare. That’s when she knew…

She was going to die here. This was where her story ended. 

The elf in front of her killed her grandmother, meaning he was alive when Auditi was. He knew the truth about Auditi’s death, yet he himself had not aged, meaning he was more than powerful...he was one of the originals: One of the elven founders of a human-free Xadia. 

She was going to die alone. Her kingdom was going to be demolished by an unbeatable foe, and her sister would be next in line. 

There was no place to run. She was trapped against an invisible wall, one that, if crossed, would lead to death. She debated jumping with honor vs dying by Star-fire, when the elf leaned forward and cupped her chin, effectively pinning her in place. 

She closed her eyes, trying to come to terms with her inevitable death. Trying to make peace with the sun and her ancestors before she joined them. 

He whispered in her ear, something about her purpose, destiny, his plan to destroy Xadia and use the human to carry out his will. 

He told her of a scared woman whose last memory was his face before he destroyed her...

And then he flicked her chin, and she felt herself fall.

It hurt at first, the disappearing.

She was dissipating in the air, her stomach feeling the ache of nausea as she felt the effects of gravity leave her. 

She screamed, and everything faded slowly. As her consciousness left her, her last thoughts focused on her sister, her beautiful, strong sister...

_Janai... 'm sorry._

* * *

Janai was running, Amaya in front and Kazi behind her, as she entered the courtyard. She could see the ceremony beginning far ahead, and cursed her sister for her lack of patience. 

“10 minutes...she couldn’t have waited 10 minutes? Stars Khessa, you idiot.”

Her annoyance at Khessa’s actions soon faded as she watched Amaya’s body tense up as they came into view of Elven civilians. It was obvious she was uncomfortable, but still, she continued to sprint, only pausing a second to avoid clashing into a royal courier whose expression failed to mask his confusion.

It was funny, in a way.

Her prisoner was now her ally, someone who was going to run into fire to protect the people that captured and restrained her. A human who was going to risk her life to save a queen that gave a shit about hers.

Amaya was either extremely forgiving, or absolutely crazy, bordering on suicidal, and Janai wasn’t sure which made more sense.

Or which one she preferred. 

As they reached the outward steps, Janai began to slow, mirroring what the human was already in the process of doing. When all three were finally stagnant, Amaya gripped her weapon and turned around with an inquisitive look on her face, as if she was waiting for direction on what to do. 

Janai started to look behind her when she realized her stupidity.

_You’re in charge here. Take a stand, and lead..._

This was just like normal, just like a regular day. All she had to do was treat Amaya and Kazi like her troops. 

As Janai cleared her throat, Amaya again raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.

At that, Janai straightened up and pointed to the Sun- Forge, eyes focused on the pinpointed figures of Khessa and the dark mage.

“The ritual has started,” she said poignantly as she watched Amaya formulate a plan. The human was skilled at that, coming to terms with plans of attack without knowing proper schematics or number of hostiles. She had done it many times before, both back when the border was still being consolidated and in the recent skirmishes littering the sloppily declared boundary. 

She was good. 

_No, she’s amazing..._

Janai quickly shot that thought out of her mind, latching onto the very prominent feeling of fear and disaster as a way to ground herself. She had no time to waste, no time to feel...

“We have to stop him!” 

As Janai opened her mouth to speak, Amaya was already steps ahead, running towards the ceremonial Spire, abandoning Janai in the sparsely populated castle grounds.

 _Dammit woman,_ Janai thought as she shook her head at Kazi’s measly attempt to follow.

If Amaya had really tried to escape back in the woods or in the castle, she’d have succeeded. She was quick and stealthy. One minute she was there and the next, she was miles away, and although Janai knew she was an expert at hand to hand, stealth wasn’t really her forte. That was more of a Moonshadow thing, not Sunfire.

As she was about to call out something like, “Amaya, wait up,” or, “Why are you so fast,” or more importantly, “What’s our strategy here?” she chastised herself and bit her lip.

_She’s Deaf...Deaf...Can’t hear...duh_

As Janai ran through the street, whispers began filtering in and out of her ears. 

“Is that her?”

“Golden...Yeah? What’s the human...human!”

“I heard she’s dam….yes...ahuh”

“Crazy”

Janai wondered if the human got annoyed at all the gossip and whispers, then realized, yet again, that Amaya was spared from the Kingdom’s chattering. 

But perhaps it still made her uncomfortable? Could she feel their stares? Was that a thing?

She groaned as someone attempted to wave her down, probably to ask questions and demand answers.

Janai hated mindless talking and nosy elves. She could NEVER tolerate being queen or even ruling part of the kingdom. Keeping together a group of opinionated and haughty advisers...staying peaceful with other Elven kingdoms...being “well-mannered and precise, wise, and slow to anger…”

Yeah, that wasn’t her…

Then again, that wasn't Khessa either. The queen had a nasty habit of letting her temper overshadow her rulings.

Janai would have to treat carefully when vouching for Amaya. Luckily, after this "mission" of sports, the human would hopefully be trusted to a level great enough for Khessa to tolerate.

Hopefully.

“Prisoner...I think…”

“Why is….what’s going on?”

“Come here...stay away…”

The chatter and whispers continued to flow past her ears, but Janai ignored them. She had a mission. She was going to make sure this Viren character didn’t make it out of this alive. Then, she was going to have a long sit-down with Khessa about Amaya and her pur-

“STARS! THE QUEEN!”

“HER RADIANCE!”

Janai’s heart began firing once the words reached her ears. She shifted her gaze from Amaya’s back to the top of the Sun-Forge and watched as a small figure fell…

By the time the screams reached her, the body had already disintegrated. A haunted wail whispered past, moments after. Her eyes had nothing to follow…so she kept repeating the path of the queen over and over again. 

Where was she? Where was she? What?

This wasn’t…

This...that wasn't her...it. What?

This was happening too fast. No...no it wasn't happening at all....right?

Right?

Heaving, Janai began to stumble.

Amaya turned around, and a part of Janai wondered if the pain was somehow feel-able, if she somehow knew. 

A coldness cracked her heart and she gasped, frozen.

“I’m sorry” Amaya’s eyes whispered, face lax with emotion, and that’s when it truly hit her.

Her sister was dead. 

She must have attacked or charged because she was soon flying past Amaya, arms and legs flaring with heat to counteract the cold inside her head. All she felt was pain. All she saw were shapes and figures. A switch went off in her head and she was acting on instinct and instinct alone.

And then she was on the ground, a heaviness on her back and whispers in her face. She flared again, trying to burn the fear, the sadness, the rage...burn it all away. But a hand was on hers...a glove was touching skin and a body was forcing her down, stopping her anger from expressing itself.

She panicked, trying to escape the touch, the comfort. If she didn't attack, if she didn't kill something right then, she was going to start crying. 

She couldn't do that. Not here...not...no

And then a face stared into hers, eyes reaching eyes. There was no judgement, no hatred, no malice.

Amaya, in one small look, gave her permission. 

Permission to cry...to crumble...to... _feel_

So Janai took a shallow breath, peered up at the rotten Sun-Forge.

And broke


End file.
